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Chronicle Reporters

Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Judith Ncube has urged people to invest in keeping the city clean.

Speaking after cleaning up Nkulumane shopping complex yesterday, Minister Ncube said people should make a deliberate effort to keep their homes and work places clean.

She said President Emmerson Mnangagwa envisions a clean Zimbabwe in which people don’t drop even small pieces of paper on the ground.

“Our father and President Cde Mnangagwa launched this programme so that all of us could work towards cleaning our homes and working environment. I urge all residents to invest their time in cleaning Bulawayo,” said Minister Ncube.

“As you can see, we just cleaned up this whole area and this is the standard that should be maintained even at our homes all the times.”

Environmental Management Agency (Ema) regional manager Mr Decent Ndlovu said a significant number of companies had volunteered to adopt a number of areas in Bulawayo which they will clean every month. “The response has been amazing and we commend what our companies are doing as part of their social responsibility. We urge residents to join in so that we keep our city and country clean,” he said.

Bulawayo City Council senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said churches and some non-governmental organisations have been instrumental in keeping the city clean.

“When we got here we heard that the Seventh Day Adventist Church was in the same area cleaning and we have other organisations willing to partner in keeping Bulawayo clean as expected. We would like to remind residents that every day is a clean-up campaign hence we should always strive to clean our homes, cars and working places,” she said.

Meanwhile, in Gwanda scores of residents and workers from various departments and institutions turned up for the clean-up.

The main clean up exercise was conducted in the town’s CBD. Addressing residents at the end of the exercise, Gwanda Mayor Councillor Jastone Mazhale said the objective of the campaign is to inculcate a culture of cleanliness among people.

“We shouldn’t wait for the first Friday of every month to clean but it must be a daily exercise,” he said. 

In Hwange and Victoria Falls workers from various companies and organisations that include banking institutions, shops, hotels and tour operators cleaned around their premises.

In Beitbridge, the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa could not make it to the border town due to other commitments in Cyclone Idai-ravaged Chimanimani. Beitbridge deputy mayor councillor Munyaradzi Chitsunge said maintaining a clean and safe environment can only be a success story when there is collective effort.

“Beitbridge collects at least 700 tonnes of solid waste monthly, while approximately 100 tonnes of solid waste is being dumped into the environment causing land pollution,” he said.

In Masvingo province, Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister, Ezra Chadzamira led in cleaning up the busy Croco Motors bus stop along the Masvingo-Harare road.