By Correspondent
The absence of adequate service delivery within various high density communities in Harare continues to disturb the national lockdown as people are still going out to find water, gas or look for food.
Various borehole and gas selling points are still getting huge numbers of people converging without regard for the stated social distancing.
“We have a problem of water and even when it comes the Council water isn’t safe to drink so we still need to go to the boreholes”, Irene Chawatama, (35) of Warren Park says.
On Tuesday the Combined Harare Resident Association (CHRA) won its urgent case against Harare Council resulting in a High Court ruling ordering the authorities to urgently provide water and safe alternatives where they cannot do that.
However it’s yet to be seen how the ruling will fare on the ground.
The tight security situation has also seen gas prices shooting with a kg now going for around US$4 from the previous US$1.50
Picture: People at a borehole in Warren Park D on Thursday.
Pictures have even emerged showing security officers also lining up for food at shops instead of enforcing the lockdown directive.
Zimstats figures released this year show that of the country’s working population, 76% are informally employed.
This has resulted in people slowly but effectively defying the lockdown as they look for alternative ways to subsist during the lockdown period.
Thus whilst in the Central Business District (CBD) there has been an effective blockage stopping people from getting in, in the townships people are still roaming about and even gathering for social engagements.
Picture: Abandoned Ecocash booths at Mereki
Sporadic raids by the police are far sparsed to be effective and cannot keep up.
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