Government urges political parties to remove campaign material from public infrastructure to ensure public health

GOVERNMENT has instructed political parties to remove campaign material plastered on public infrastructure. which has become a nuisance and a threat to public health.

The country held harmonised elections in August but up to date political parties are yet to remove their campaign posters.

This has resulted in some organisations whose buildings were plastered with political material being forced to harness resources to pull it down.

In a statement, Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Nqobizitha Ndlovu called on all political parties to remove their campaign material.

“This comes against the background of that the campaign material is degenerating into an environmental nuisance in violation of every citizen’s birth right to a clean environment that is not harmful to health as enshrined in our constitution. Campaign materials are a necessity for political parties seeking people’s mandate. However, it remains key to also ensure that all campaign materials are removed immediately after elections, to avoid them deteriorating into environmental pollution,” reads the statement.

A clean environment, said Minister Ndlovu, knows no political boundaries and it’s everyone’s responsibility.

Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Nqobizitha Ndlovu said while the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) should legislate the disposal of campaign material, there is a legal gap to that regard.

He said Zec has since engaged the Environmental Management Agency to compel political parties to remove campaign material.

“On the political campaign material, ordinarily this is a law that should be housed within ZEC. We engaged them because of our concern on what we are seeing on the environment. It was clear that this issue was completely omitted in the law, which is why they requested for now, that we issue a statement to political parties, but they will be instituting amendments to the Act to make sure that the political parties have a responsibility at law to clear their campaign material post the election,” he said.

-@nqotshili