An ongoing strike by more than 2 000 Chitungwiza Town council workers in Zimbabwe has resulted in the area becoming overwhelmed by uncollected waste.

According to local reports, council workers downed tools after going for nearly a year without being paid their salaries. Talks to end the strike began on Friday last week, but council management has maintained that there is no money to pay the workers.

With a population of 1.5 million, the town may now be facing a health crisis. SW Radio Africa reports witnessing overflowing rubbish bins, raw sewage and an unbearable stench. Residents told the station that they feared an outbreak of disease.

Director of the Chitungwiza Residents and Ratepayers Association Arthur Taderera said the industrial action has worsened the challenges facing the town. He told SW Radio Africa that the sanitation and hygienic conditions in the town leave much to be desired and that the situation has deteriorated in the last year.