Keep carts out of the city, vendors told

GWERU City Council has warned fi rewood vendors against driving their donkey-drawn carts into city suburbs, saying such moves were against city by-laws.

There have been complaints from residents, especially those from Mkoba suburbs over the increasing number of donkeys that were left roaming around the city by fi rewood vendors.

A number of reported cases of animal-related accidents along the City-Mkoba Highway due to increased number of stray and donkey driven carts in Mkoba have been made.

Gweru mayor Councillor Charles Chikozho said the local authority would soon descend on the fi re wood vendors using donkey-driven carts in the city.

“We have received several complaints as the local authority about the number of donkeys that end up roaming free in the suburbs,” he said.

“These donkeys have become a hazard and we will soon be effecting the city by-laws that prohibit the movement of animals into the city.”

Clr Chikozho said while they appreciated the need by vendors to fend for themselves through selling fi rewood, they should observe city by-laws.

“They are driven by the need to eke out a living, but they should not breach city by-laws by driving their donkey-drawn carts into the suburbs,” he said.

He said some of the donkeys ended up straying into people’s yards and gardens.