Staff Reporter
Kwekwe City councillors have expressed concern over the growing menace of stray dogs and cats in the city, urging urgent intervention to protect residents.
During a full council meeting, Health Services Committee Chairperson Councillor Panyika Nyika admitted that efforts to eradicate stray dogs had faced challenges due to a lack of skilled personnel and inadequate resources.
“Some of the workers fail to put down the stray dogs by missing the targets or not having bullets,” Cllr Nyika said.
He added that in Amaveni Township, residents had warned council workers not to target their dogs and cats, threatening consequences if they did.
Nyika requested an extension of the dog eradication programme, saying the current efforts were not yielding sufficient results.
Ward 12 Cllr Thomas Mahapa highlighted the dangers posed by the animals, citing an incident in which a police officer could not access his house after vicious dogs from a neighbour’s property jumped over the durawall into his yard.
Finance Committee Chairperson Cllr Alex Senge described the situation as “worrisome,” noting the increase in complaints over dog bites.
He suggested the city also conduct civic education to promote responsible pet ownership.
Proportional representation Cllr Siziwe Ncube said the problem was not limited to dogs, pointing to an earlier issue with stray cats.
“We started with the cats menace before we experienced problems with dogs. There was a planned programme to set up cages to trap the cats — how far have we gone in addressing the cats problem?” she asked.
Council is yet to announce a clear timeline for resolving the issue.
