AfricaPress-Tanzania: PRESIDENT Hussein Mwinyi has threatened to disband the Zanzibar City Council if the metropolis continues to look filth.
When Dr Mwinyi came to power at the end of last year he had issued a three-month ultimatum for Zanzibar city authorities to keep the isles capital clean.
However, after inspecting the progress of implementing the Zanzibar Urban Services Project (ZUSP) and keeping the city clean on Monday, he was disappointed to see the city’s cleanliness left much to be desired.
“I am not happy with the level of cleanliness in Zanzibar city,” Mwinyi said, adding that it was important for the authorities to ensure the city is clean or risk their institution being dissolved.
He said that the existence of the city council may be meaningless if it fails to perform, including supervising cleanliness of the city.
Zanzibar town was upgraded to city status last July with plans to turning one of the attractive cities in the East African region and Africa at large.
Accompanied by several leaders and his wife Maryam, President Mwinyi walked from Zanzibar International Airport to Stone Town to inspect the progress in city’s cleanliness.
He also inspected Marhubi wastes collection point and the Kibele dumping site, where a recycling plant is being developed.
“We want to see the difference, Zanzibar must look clean,” he noted.
The president said that the task of the city council is to ensure cleanliness along with implementation of health, agriculture, and education programmes under the decentralization policy.
He said he wants to see actions in improving cleanliness along all roads, working street lights and organized petty traders and vendors.
“It doesn’t look good that everywhere in the city there are people doing businesses. This is happening because the authorities are not organized,” said Dr Mwinyi as he instructed the Urban West Regional Commissioner to supervise cleanliness.
