It’s only 5am, heavy drops of rain are cascading down, beating the ground so hard that the smell of dirt and sewage fills through the air. Some will say it is raining cats and dogs. This creates commotion among kombi drivers. They are hooting endlessly; impatience has finally caught up with them. Swaying from left to right in the sticky mud roads trying to avoid potholes filled to the brim with raining water, the passengers are not happy either with this kind of driving. They have completely lost all the road decorum expected from motorists as their hwindis shout on top of their lungs for people to come on board. It is true that in a taxi rank battle, the one with the loudest voice and the stinkiest attitude wins the race.
The City of Mbare is wide awake, with a hype of activities lined up for the day. Farmers on the other hand, are hastily offloading tomatoes, green mealies and water melons. They have brought their produce from different parts of the country. They stood aloof inside the market ready to sell their products. Their eyes are restless, tired of being watchful all night for thieves. Yet still, they have a long way to go; it is only 5am! The rain has disrupted order inside the market. Farmers are being cautious as they offload their products to the ground which is dirty and sticky. It’s not a wonderful sight, but this is Mbare the most famous place in Harare, yet the dirtiest.
To the far left, there lies Mbare Matapi flats. From a distance, blankets and clothes are seen hanging untidily from broken windows of the dilapidated buildings whose paint is silently peeling off, leaving cracks as a remnant of what was. It’s an eyesore to the passerby, but those who call it their home think the joke is on you. Not to be outdone, sewage is spilling out from decades-old broken pipes. The overpopulation is not helping the situation either, those flats were initially not meant to accommodate thousands upon thousands of people. As these structures deteriorate, residents are sitting on a ticking time bomb.
The outcome of this catastrophe is blocked pipes and the foul smell of flowing sewage. The drainage system could not be stretched out unfortunately due to the spatial plan. An alternative could have been devised if there was a will to do so. The absurdity of the matter, however, is that each election season residents of Mbare after casting their votes herald the winner as a beacon of hope and the beginning of a new era. Those long disillusioned by empty promises and desperate for change, place their hopes and faith in their newly elect only to find out in next election season that they have been living in lala land. They find out that the more things change, the more they remain the same. It’s much ado about nothing.
There seem to be no clear cut plan to rectify this problem. So, in the absence of sensible solutions, the blame game takes centre stage. Residents accuse City Council of bottom of the barrell service delivery. The bone of contention is that refuse is collected when flies are tired of laying their eggs on rotten food stuffs. Burst sewage pipes can go for months without being attended to. This feels like an abandonment of duty. The Council unfazed by these accusations, sought to prove that residents themselves are not saints. They say it is the non-compliant, arrogant ones who refuse to pay their monthly rates to the council, yet they demand services and makes it difficult for everyone. The anomaly of sewage oozing unmitigated each day goes on without ceasing much to the detriment of poor Mbare residents.
As an aftermath, the pertinent question needs to be asked. Should Mbare residents continue trusting politicians or City Council to change the status quo, when time and again they have been left to hang dry? What have they really been offered other than empty rhetoric? Mbare residents deserve a leader who treats their service delivery struggles with respect not the one who dangles cryptic promises each election season like a bait. The political gimmicks have now become repetitious. I rest my case!