Bulawayo City Council Moves To Ban Churches Making Loud Noises
According to the minutes of the latest council meeting, residents have been complaining about the noise emanating from sports bars and churches for quite some time now. But the final straw came when the council received a report from Ward 15 Clr Febbie Msipa about a nearby sports ground that was turned into a dance floor, with music blaring from vehicles. This prompted the councillors to take action and form a team to deal with the issue.
Ward 26 Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo highlighted that churches were also contributing to the noise “nuisance” with their loud hailers and musical instruments. The councillors also suggested that some sports bars might be involved in peddling drugs, so a policy review on the establishment of sports bars might be necessary.
But not all councillors were in agreement. Ward Two Clr Joyce Ndlovu claimed that some residents complained about everything and that some sports bars were well-managed. Nevertheless, the acting Director of Health Services explained that noise nuisance by-laws were enforced by the ZRP and that the opening and closing times for sports bars were enforced by the police.
The Chamber Secretary, Sikhangele Zhou, also pointed out that the local authority encouraged sports bars over bottle stores because sports bars have seating areas, televisions, indoor games, and ablution facilities. They also brought some sanity to the city, she said, by providing sports entertainment while residents enjoyed drinks.
It seems that the Bulawayo City Council is taking this issue seriously and will not back down until the noise nuisance is eradicated.