Chronicle Editor
Johnsias Mutonhori, Midlands Correspondent
Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Owen Ncube, on Friday led a clean-up campaign in Zhombe, where he raised awareness among villagers on having clean environs and acceptable waste disposal particularly in light of the cholera outbreak affecting some parts of the country.
Traditionally, clean-up campaigns have been held in towns and cities where litter is more prevalent due to concentrated urban populations and infrequent refuse collection by local authorities.
However, the recent cholera outbreak has spread to rural areas in the Midlands Province, primarily due to inadequate ablution facilities, lack of safe water sources, and the absence of litter bins at vending sites and homesteads
Minister Ncube emphasised that the call for hygiene should extend to everyone and urged individuals to observe public health protocols diligently.
“We are still in the midst of the cholera outbreak; let us all therefore ,adhere to public health protocols as advised by health officials to prevent the spread of the disease.
Each household should have a litter receptacle and exercise high standards of hygiene in vending areas.
The large number of vendors who operate from several rural service centres along the Kwekwe-Gokwe Centre road generate significant waste that needs proper management.
In this regard, I urge the business and vending community to maintain cleanliness at their premises and places of operation respectively,” he said.
The Second Republic has adopted zero tolerance to litter and it has declared every first Friday of each month a clean-up campaign day.
Local authorities that fail to collect waste will be fined US$5 000, while litterbugs face a US$500 fine or a six-month jail term under the new draft regulation.
The Minister called on local authorities to strengthen their waste management systems and encouraged the involvement of community leaders in establishing waste management teams to address the issue comprehensively.
He also urged local authorities to work in partnership with the corporate sector to enhance waste management efforts.
“Our local authority should strengthen its waste management system by addressing issues such as the lack of standard landfills in rural service centres like here in Zhombe and Joel. Deployment of refuse collection equipment and infrastructure, mobilising communities including councillors and other local leaders to establish waste management structures that assist in monitoring and enforcing waste management should also be taken seriously.
I implore the local authority to formulate and strengthen partnerships with the corporate world to enhance waste management.”
Minister Ncube acknowledged that a clean environment was critical to sustainable economic development, while warning artisanal miners from exploring minerals without taking care of the environment.
“As we undertake the clean-up exercise, it is important to note that the programme is meant to raise awareness of the importance of a clean environment for sustainable socio-economic development in line with Vision 2030.
Let me remind those in the mining business to ensure that mined areas are progressively rehabilitated.
This comes after the realisation that some miners are only interested in resource extraction without rehabilitating mined areas. Open pits left by miners are a threat to both humans and livestock.
“We have adopted a comprehensive approach to our clean-up campaigns ,by making it part of general service delivery benchmarks that cover grass cutting, street lighting, water provision, vending sites and road as well as housing infrastructure.
“As you may be aware, the provision of these utilities does not always require financial support from the Central Government as local authorities can utilize their own human, equipment and abundant material resources at their disposal for that purpose,” he said.
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