Zimbabwe: City of Harare to Fumigate Over 5 000 Housing Units As Mbare Battles Bed Bug Outbreak

Moses Muoki/Capital FM
(file photo)
8 April 2025
New Zimbabwe (London)
By Tapiwa Svondo

The City of Harare (CoH) has identified a total number of 5 490 housing units to be fumigated in Mbare, where there is a bed bug (tsikidzi) outbreak.

In an interview with the Director of Health at CoH, Prosper Chonzi, said the council will start with the most affected flats: Matererini, Matapi, and Majubeki and then proceed to other areas.

"It's almost like it's everywhere where there are bed bugs, but we have Matererini, parts of Matapi and Majubeki and all in all we did a mapping and there are 5 490 units that need to be fumigated.

"So we are planning for those 5 490 starting with those who voiced their voices about the outbreak, but we are going to spray everywhere because it doesn't help to just spray the affected and leave other flats in Mbare", said Chonzi.

Samples of bed bugs have been taken to the laboratories to determine which pesticides to use when fumigating.

Added Chonzi, "It's very true there are many bed bugs in this area, the government has chipped in help and other pest control chemicals are being transported from Mashonaland East and other materials. We have taken the bed bugs to our laboratories so that we can determine which chemicals kill the most and the chemicals which we have now are the ones which we always use, but we will come up with the most effective if it requires doing so after our laboratory results".

Jane Kariwo of Matererini flats, Block 3, complained that second-hand imported clothes commonly known as mabhero are also contributing to the bed bug outbreak.

"We are pleading that they find a place where cloakrooms are opened somewhere so that we are not close to these second-hand clothes which are transported from Tanzania and other places.

"There should be a place where these clothing items are fumigated before they are brought to the markets to avoid these kinds of outbreaks", said Kariwo

One youth who spoke to NewZimbabwe.com said they were now turning to drugs in order to manage the itchiness caused by the bed bug bites.

Youths in Mbare where there is a bed bugs (tsikidzi) outbreak say they take drugs to help them manage the bites' itchiness pic.twitter.com/xNI8fyhkTg-- NewZimbabwe.com (@NewZimbabweCom) April 7, 2025

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