By Patience Gondo
The City of Harare has launched a crackdown on abandoned and broken-down vehicles left in guarded car parks, shopping centres and open spaces in a sweeping clean-up drive aimed at restoring order and improving the capital’s image.
In a statement Thursday October 23 Acting Town Clerk Engineer Phakamile Moyo said it is now illegal for residents and car park operators to keep disused vehicles or car shells at overnight guarded car parks, shopping centres or on streets outside residential properties.
Moyo directed lessees of guarded overnight car parks to immediately remove such vehicles and car shells within seven days or risk having them towed away by council authorities at the owners’ expense.
“Council will remove the car shells at a cost to lessees or owners of the cars,” Moyo said.
He said confiscated vehicles would be taken to a city designated junkyard where they would be stored pending disposal or auctioning.
Moyo appealed to residents to assist by reporting locations of abandoned and broken-down vehicles to help the city enforce the directive.
The operation comes as Harare intensifies efforts to reclaim its status as a clean, organised and investor friendly city following growing concerns over litter, uncollected garbage and urban decay.