Online Reporter
Dorothy N Sithole
Vendors at Shangani Business Centre have transformed the monthly National Clean-Up Campaign into a twice-weekly community initiative, taking responsibility for keeping the growth point clean and promoting a healthier trading environment.
Members of Patriotic Vendors 4ED were out before sunrise last Friday armed with brooms, gloves and bin bags, clearing litter, cleaning drainages and preparing waste disposal pits as part of efforts to maintain cleanliness at the business centre.
The clean-up exercise, held on 31 July 2026, will now be conducted every Monday and Friday following engagements with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), with vendors saying a clean environment is key to improving public health and supporting local businesses.
Matabeleland South Patriotic Vendors 4ED National Executive member Cde Dumiso Makhalima said vendors had embraced the responsibility of complementing Government’s efforts in community development.
“What you are witnessing here is Vision 2030 in action. We align ourselves with every word said by our President,” he said.
Cde Makhalima said vendors viewed themselves as partners in national development and were committed to ensuring Shangani remained clean.
“We see ourselves as the Government’s right arm in delivering community development,” he said.
The initiative received support from Ward 23 Shadow Councillor Cde Sikhanyisiwe Nkomo, who provided a mine excavator to dig waste disposal pits, while businessman Mr James Ross Goddard donated a tractor and trailer every Friday to assist with waste collection.
Insiza Health Inspector Mr Torment Moyo and EMA official Mr Mgcini Ndlovu have also been supporting the programme through hygiene awareness and monitoring.
Cde Makhalima said the group had identified litter along streets, drainages and the highway as some of the major challenges affecting the area.
Residents told the vendors that much of the litter was generated by travellers passing through the growth point, prompting the group to intensify efforts to maintain cleanliness.
The waste collected during the clean-up is placed in designated pits where it is safely disposed of, with the tractor assisting in transporting refuse from collection points.
Cde Makhalima thanked Patriotic Vendors 4ED National Chairman Cde Sawu Jere for encouraging vendors across the country to participate in community development initiatives.
The National Clean-Up Campaign, launched by President Mnangagwa on 5 December 2018, is held on the first Friday of every month.
However, Shangani vendors said they were going beyond the monthly programme, with their twice-weekly clean-ups aimed at ensuring a cleaner business centre, healthier residents and visible progress towards Vision 2030.
“Vendors are a blessing to the nation,” said Cde Makhalima.
