Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu
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STAKEHOLDERS from Gwanda District in Matabeleland South turned out in large numbers on Saturday to support the Zero Waste Movement, answering the call by the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, to adopt sustainable waste management practices.
Led by the wife of the Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Albert Nguluvhe, Mrs Sibusisiwe Nguluvhe, participants cleaned up the central business district before gathering at the Gwanda Travel Centre, where she addressed the crowd.
Those in attendance included civil servants, faith leaders, civic society organisations, residents and schoolchildren. The clean-up campaign was held under the theme: “Matabeleland South is our home – zero tolerance to waste.”
The province launched the Zero Waste Management Movement in March last year following the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s signing of the Global Zero Waste Goodwill Declaration, which seeks to promote sustainable waste management practices.
Zimbabwe, like the rest of the world, faces an escalating environmental crisis driven by unsustainable consumption patterns and wasteful practices. In response, the Global Zero Waste Movement has emerged as a beacon of hope, advocating for a fundamental shift in how societies produce, consume and dispose of waste.
The movement seeks to minimise waste sent to dumpsites, landfills and incinerators while promoting a circular economy centred on reducing, reusing and recycling materials.
The Zero Waste Movement forms part of the Global Zero Waste Movement adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 2022, to advance zero-waste initiatives worldwide. The First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, who is also the country’s environmental patron, became one of 30 First Ladies who appended their signatures to the pledge.
@DubeMatutu
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