The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
RUSAPE Town Council has promulgated a whooping 14 by-laws and offences that will be enforced to exercise statutory authority by the Municipal Police in terms of the Urban Councils Act.
The proposed by-laws were made in terms of Section 228 of the Urban Councils Act, and are still open for inspection at the council offices between 8am and 4pm during working days.
These new laws will include animal control, building and construction, licensing, noise, hawking and street vending, water and sewerage drainage, environmental, land use and natural resources, water, physical examination, advertising, game meat, fishing, water pollution and trade effluent control and cycle by-laws.
Acting Rusape town secretary, Mr Togarepi Nerwande confirmed the latest development, which the local authority is executing in batches.
Mr Nerwande said the town had only 10 by-laws, which naturally compromised their enforcement of laws in their area of jurisdiction.
“The by-laws are laws that formalise rules made by a council board, especially to regulate, prohibit or impose requirements as regards any form of nuisance in its area of jurisdiction.
“All along, Rusape had 10 by-laws in force and most of the time we were relying on Statutory Instruments which had their own fair share of challenges.
“We has advertised the 14 by-laws, and the response in terms of inspections, has been overwhelming. We had significant walk-ins from individuals, businesses, media and quasi-government bodies,” said Mr Nerwande.
Mr Nerwande said council will next week unveil another batch of 16 by-laws in a bid to upscale the laws to 40.
These by-laws will be used for a variety of purposes, including establishing meeting procedures, regulating services, prohibiting an activity, or requiring certain actions.
While Central Government is concerned with the broader issues of importance to all citizens, a local authority manages the issues that are specific to its area of jurisdiction.
“These laws were tailor-made for Rusape to manage environmental, resource, transport planning issues, sustainable use of land, water, animal control, and pollution, among others,” said Mr Nerwande.
Rusape of late has been grappling with issues of stray dogs and stray animals in which some families keep donkeys in their yards much to the chagrin of neighbours.
The dogs regularly wade into the water to cool down, look for scraps of food in bins and mess gardens and neighbourhood.
Some of the dogs that are allowed to roam around are dangerous and pose a great danger to children.
