Norton council grilled over fish markets

NORTON town management has come under fire for failing to implement a resolution by council to remove roadside fish and food vendors operating under unhygienic conditions.

The local authority also got flack for allocating stands in wetlands, but officials blamed the Government’s Department of Physical Planning for approving the identified pieces of land.

During a meeting of the local authority and the Norton Business Alliance members argued that management was not taking the threat of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera seriously.

This, they said flew in the face of Government efforts to stem the outbreak of the diseases which has resulted in the setting up of an inter-ministerial team.

NBA chairman Mr Godfrey Mugaviri said unhygienic conditions were a breeding ground for diseases and Norton needs to move fast to remove the vendors.

“We cannot allow a situation where things are just done haphazardly, putting people at risk of a disease outbreak,” he said.

This follows a report from Mr Pearson Zinyeka, a health inspector showing that some of the vendors were refusing to receive eviction notices while others played the political card.

“We have tried all that we can and discussions are underway to see how we can move forward after previous attempts to remove them were not successful,” said Mr Zinyeka.

This touched a raw nerve as business operators in the town questioned why the town’s security department found it easy to enforce closure of their shops and yet failed to remove the vendors.

Norton legislator Mr Temba Mliswa said council should not shield management that fails to implement their resolutions.

“I was in the meeting where the resolution to remove the vendors was made, but I am disturbed that management here is failing to implement it,” said Mr Mliswa.

“Its unfortunate you want to play with people’s lives at a time when the hospital here in Norton has no capacity to handle a major disease outbreak. There is no ambulance to talk about. You (management) want Government to expend resources responding to something that can be avoided.”

There is a proposal to build a formal fish market which will offer hygienic conditions and allow council to collect revenue.

Town secretary Mr Kizito Muhomba said they were still to evaluate the resources needed to set up the market.

“There are procedures that have to be followed although the order for their eviction has been issued,” said Mr Muhomba.

He was forced to give a commitment that the town security details will move in to remove the vendors in compliance with the resolution.

Members of the alliance also wanted to know why people were allocated stands on wetlands to which the director of housing Mr Blessing Mutyambizi conceded that they erred as a town.

“We allocate stands and in recent years Norton has run out of land and we resolved to give out infill stands. That could have resulted in people getting stands on wetlands,” he said.

Councillor Solomon Nerutanga shocked the gallery when he said council and management were not liable as it was the Department of Physical Planning which sanctioned their proposal for land.

“We are not responsible, but Government’s Department of Physical Planning which approved the land. We just allocated the land,” he said.

Mr Temba Mliswa said Minister Kasukuwere was on record saying no council should allocate land on wetlands saying he would take it up with the Minister in Parliament.

“In view of what has been said here, I will ask in Parliament if the position has been waived for Norton,” he said.

This opened another can of worms as the community also wanted to know why land for recreation and schools was no longer available in the town.

Clr Nerutanga said land had been identified where a multi-disciplinary sports complex was to be established.

This, however, did not go down well with residents who questioned why children’s playgrounds were turned into residential stands.