By Correspondent
Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume has warned businesses that attract high volumes of people not to lock their toilets.
Mafume said council is going to look into the issue and take action.
In Harare’s central business dictrict (CBD) there is a shortage of public toilets due to the growing number of the population in the city.
The few toilets that are there, are in a bad state.
This situation has seen people turning to fast food outlets and shopping malls.
However, they often find the doors locked, and are required to purchase something in order for them to get the keys.
Toilets Part of License Agreement
However, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume told the media that this is wrong as it goes against the agreement on licences for high volume businesses.
He said his council is exploring various measures to increase the availability of toilets.
Again, they will review the licences of those locking their toilets.
“Issues of public toilets are of major concern.
“We need to improve the public toilets that we have.
“We are also looking at mobile toilets, we have companies that are offering mobile toilets.
“Once they comply with our regulations we will allow them to put mobile toilets as a stop-gap measure.
‘’Then after that we are going to expand and improve the toilets that we have.
Changing License Agreements
“We are also going to look at the behaviour of some organisations who would have applied for licences saying they would build beautiful toilets, whilst they are giving people food.
‘’They then give our people food and deny them toilets after the people have bought.
“Some will insist on minimum purchases before you can use toilets at their facilities.
“So we will look at our permits to see where institutions have created high volumes enterprises they must also create toilets.
“There are other shops that have turned themselves into what they mis-call as malls.
“They create high volumes of people into their building yet they lock the toilets of those particular toilets.
“So we will look into the planning so that if you are going to put up a mall, if you are going to put a shop which has high volumes of people then it follows that you must provide for ablution facilities,’’ he said.
Toilets Shortage
Most public toilets in Harare are found at kombi ranks(Coppa Cabana, 4th Street, and Market Square).
A few others are in gardens (Harare Gardens and Africa Unity Square) and there is one at corner Jason Moyo and First Street.
However, most of them have been converted into pay-toilets.
