MARTIN MAWAYA
Gweru City Council has threatened to gun down stray dogs in an effort to protect residents from the risk of rabies.
Speaking during a meeting with the Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA), Ward 18 Councilor William Mazango said the council is in the process of eliminating all stray dogs.
“We will not hesitate to gun down stray dogs,” Mazango said, emphasizing the need to address the threat of rabies in the city.
The council plans to conduct an exercise to ensure residents are complying with bylaws regarding the number of dogs per household, Mazango added.
He said residents will not be allowed to rehome any dogs exceeding the limit of two in high-density suburbs.
Mazango stressed the importance of residents keeping their dogs in well-secured areas, such as those with durable walls or fences, to prevent them from roaming and potentially biting people.
The local authority’s announcement comes after residents have raised alarm over increasing number of bites incidents by stray dogs across the city.
Jennifer Ngodzo, a Mkoba resident expressed concern and called for the local authority to take decisive action to reduce the number of stray dogs in their neighborhoods.
“We want our council to pay more attention to stray dogs in residential areas across the city. We have residents being bitten by dogs, and there is a high chance they may contract rabies, as some of these dogs are of no fixed abode and their owners are not known,” she said.
GRRA executive director Cornilia Selipiwe added that the council should protect residents from dog bites and take corrective measures to remove these stray animals from the locations.
According to council statistics, 29 dog bites were recorded from January to March this year.
Of these, 11 were from vaccinated dogs, 9 from unvaccinated dogs, and 9 were from dogs of unknown vaccination status.
In 2024, the city registered 143 dog bites, a slight decrease from the previous year’s 148 cases.
However, the number of bites from unknown dogs increased from 58 in 2023 to 63 in 2024.
The number of bites from vaccinated dogs decreased from 58 to 52, while the number from unvaccinated dogs declined from 32 to 28.
Currently, the Midlands province has recorded a total of 101 dog bites, contributing to the country’s cumulative figure of 8,572 cases with no reported deaths.
In 2019, the local authority clashed with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) after the city shot stray animals.
