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Thupeyo Muleya,Beitbridge Bureau

The US$300 million border modernisation project has changed the face of Beitbridge town and it is important for the local municipality to embrace the greening and beautification initiative to match the huge investments made by the Government and its partners.

This was said by the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri while leading stakeholders during a national clean-up campaign in Beitbridge town yesterday.

She commended President Mnangagwa for ensuring the full implementation of the town’s transformation.

“I want to thank President Mnangagwa for his sound leadership and commitment to change the face of Beitbridge town through the border post modernisation programme,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.

“The project brings with it an array of benefits which include employment creation, facilitation of trade and investment, business travel and tourism. The commissioning of this project is testimony to his determination and aspiration for an empowered and prosperous middle income society by 2030, and living no one and no place behind”.

She said Beitbridge town was favoured by its unique geographical location at the heart of the North-South Trade Corridor.

This, she said, makes it the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa.

The minister said the port of entry was a gateway to the rest of Africa, with an estimated 1 000 vehicles and 15 000 people passing through the port of entry daily. 

“The volume of traffic had decreased at the time we were at the height of Covid-19. Since the situation has to some extent been contained, we are happy that there is a hive of activity which is a demonstration that our economy is growing,” she said.

“The increase in transit population is presenting a lot of challenges when dealing with litter in this town on a daily basis. This is an incentive to our mantra Zimbabwe is open for business”.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said it was pleasing to note that the Municipality of Beitbridge had already started working on the beautification of the town, in line with the vision of President Mnangagwa.

She said the ambiance of the town should be improved considering that the town presented the face of Zimbabwe to travellers coming in from South Africa.

Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said it was critical for the local authority to green every space available in the town and to provide litter bins and offer quality services to the ratepayers and the transit population.

“We are not only beautifying our town, but we are also creating a carbon sync for the carbon dioxide we emit and our cars emit on a daily basis,” she added.

The minister said there was a need for the local municipality and its stakeholders to add fruit trees to the trees they will be planting.

She said Beitbridge should be turned into an orange town considering the climatic condition in the area.

The local municipality, she said, was still using an old dumpsite, which has now been converted into a metal recycling industry with a major focus on aluminium pots.

“This means that more recyclable material is being taken to this facility from our homes instead of separating waste from the source and recovering recyclable materials,” said the minister.

“The National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) is very clear on promoting recycling initiatives, and hence I challenge the Municipality of Beitbridge to embrace the sustainable material recovery and recycling trajectory, to help keep our environment clean and healthy.

Let me press on the need to create a clear culture of best waste management practices especially in ensuring that we don’t become a dumping ground of all the transboundary waste”.

She said Zimbabweans should adopt a zero tolerance to litter culture which can be emulated by all those who pass through Beitbridge border town.

An ill-mannered behaviour of littering and discarding waste at undesignated sites, she said must be discouraged by all well-meaning Zimbabweans.

Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri said there was a strong need for behavioural change for everyone as far as waste management is concerned.

“Play your part as an individual and the law enforcement agents will play their part as well.

 

At the same time, transport operators should abide by the laws of the country in a similar way they obey laws on solid waste management across the borders. Our environment is no one’s property to destroy, it is everyone’s responsibility to protect it,” she said.

Since the launch of the national clean-up in 2018, the minister said the programme was bearing fruit through the various initiatives being implemented by corporates, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Government departments, civil society groups and individuals.

“As a nation, this remains a game changer as we thrive to achieve a clean, safe and healthy environment,” she said. –@tupeyo