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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
MORE areas in Bulawayo were covered during yesterday’s clean-up campaign as more people and organisations joined in the exercise.

Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister, Cde Judith Ncube hailed the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for the excellent coordination during this month’s clean-up campaign.

Speaking during the cleanup campaign at the fresh produce market along Fifth Avenue yesterday, Cde Ncube said yesterday’s programme saw different groups covering a lot of ground.

“Today it went on very well, extremely well, the EMA people were able to come up with a programme which had a number of teams scattered around the city unlike when we started, when we had a few sites and there were so many people. When we did our post mortem we agreed that it was a waste of manpower hence this restructuring today and it went on well,” she said.

Cde Ncube said she was impressed with the progress and cleanliness of some areas since the launch of the cleanup campaign in December.

“From each and every site you will find out that there were a number of people who were committed, very much dedicated and if you look at our city especially here at the market place, it’s so clean, it’s very clean compared to what it was when we started. This time I am very impressed. We need to continue putting more effort,” said Cde Ncube.

She said they had engaged the Bulawayo City Council so that the programme is inclusive and people develop a sense of ownership in the fight against littering.

“We need to create a sense of ownership so that whosoever is actually selling wares around his or her place it must be always clean. By so doing it will be automatic that our city will be clean,” said Cde Ncube.

She, together with Industry and Commerce Deputy Minister Cde Raj Modi joined the rest of the country in the cleanup campaign by cleaning at the marketplace and the Pick n Pay Hyper area.

Several other groups went around the central business district, outskirts of the city centre and western suburbs as well as schools cleaning between 8AM and 10AM.

Provincial road engineer in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development Engineer Joseph Makokove said his department had embraced the exercise.

He implored Zimbabweans to make the cleaning exercise a daily routine in order to maintain a clean environment.

In Victoria Falls, the clean-up exercise was led by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Mr Munesu Munodawafa and Victoria Falls Mayor Councillor Somvelo Dlamini.

Workers from various organisations that include Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Victoria Falls Municipality, Pick n Pay Supermarket, banks, hotels, Masimba Construction, pupils from Herentals Group of Colleges and some environment groups joined hands to clean the resort town.

Officers from the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority rangers also participated.

Mr Munodawafa commended the Victoria Falls community for keeping the resort town clean.

In Matabeleland South, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Cde Abednico Ncube led the clean-up exercise in Gwanda.

Cde Ncube together with officials from ZRP, ZPCS, EMA and residents picked up litter in Jahunda Suburb. Addressing residents who gathered at Jahunda Park, he urged various stakeholders to uphold the initiative.

“Let us all be responsible for our town and desist from littering our streets. To those who buy beer could you please stop throwing your empty beer bottles wherever you want? There are proper places for disposing litter which have been made available for us, let’s utilise them.

“The President declared that every first Friday of each calendar month is National Clean-up Day. During this day we are all expected to clean our surroundings. This programme incorporates everyone be it residents, Government departments and any institution,” he said.

In Midlands province, people observed the clean-up day in Kwekwe, Zvishavane, Gokwe, Shurugwi and Gweru. Government departments led by EMA and local authorities took to the streets and shopping centres for the worthy exercise.

Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavima, in a speech read on his behalf by the Provincial Administrator Mr Abiot Marongwe at Ascot Shopping Centre in Gweru, said the province had carried out 102 clean up campaigns from December to date.

“Prior to this program the province had faced the problem of dysentery and diarrhea related illnesses that saw a number of people passing on in most parts of the province with Gweru being the epicentre. It is thus hoped that with an uptake of this program on a daily basis rather than on specified dates, the problem of diarrheal illnesses will be a thing of the past,” he said.

“The onus is now on us as residents and citizens of Midlands to desist from disposing solid waste at undesignated points and to clear the remaining illegal dumps. It is also the duty of our local authorities to ensure that every household has a litter bin and that litter bins are collected timeously and regularly to avoid waste build up at household level.”

He said the province has identified 52 hot spots where special clean-ups shall be conducted.

“Over and above the 52 designated sites, my office has instructed that all the Government officials should come out and clean-up their premises and this shall be the case with industry and commerce.

“I therefore call upon the residents and citizens of Midlands Province to come out in their multitudes and participate in this noble gesture that will result in us living in a clean, safe and healthy environment.

“I also call upon the corporate world to play an active role in this program, as currently the program is running on a zero budget hence the need for support from the corporate world.”