There is no swag in being a litter bug

Fadzayi Maposah

I have been getting to Harare very early in the morning for some time now. 

I have come to the conclusion that whoever was involved in the naming of the capital city of Harare did an excellent job. 

I will say this in the vernacular, “Chokwadi Harare hairarwi!” Harare never sleeps. 

It seems that the city is always up and about. Are there any moments that the streets of Harare are empty?

When I get to Harare early in the morning, there are some people who are munching away at mealie cobs. 

Just to show that the ones who are roasting the mealies have been at it for sometime before I got to Harare, the roasting area will have some cobs on display.

The way the cobs are displayed, they are so appealing. Some mornings I have actually longed for a cob to munch. Then I tell myself that it may just be a bit too early to start the munching exercise. 

I have challenges eating too early or too late. I have told myself that it is either that my stomach will still be ‘asleep’ if it is the morning or ‘struggling to stay awake’ if it is late at night!

If it is around lunchtime and I see mealies on roast, then my appetite could be heightened as I imagine chewing on the maize grains. 

Then I run health surveillance tests after which my appetite drops to zero. 

Most roasting places do not have ablution facilities, taps or taped buckets.

 When I think of cholera, then the appetite goes through the window. 

How can I pay for a mealie cob that is properly roasted and then at each munch be fearful that I may contract cholera? 

How can one be punished with a health condition for eating what the heart yearned for? 

The number of these maize roasting points is amazing. There are many. There can be at each turn or very close to each other in one location. 

Zimbabweans are creative. 

Even the items that are used for roasting mealies are different. Some have metal dishes, that had probably been relegated to the rubbish pits or that were handed down from the older generation, the young people these days prefer plastic ware. Some use just a metal slate and develop something against which the mealies stand as they roast. 

Some have even gone a step further and “constructed” roasting points. These are common along the highways.

I do not know what time the mealie roasting begins. Neither do I know who is supplying the green mealies and has not yet exhausted the fields.

I am not sure whose idea it was, but now it is possible to buy half a cob. 

The one who gets to buy the half cob first, gets to choose which end they want, giving everyone an opportunity to munch away.

The munching is done at different points. Others walk around all over town happily chewing their cob. Others chew at the bus rank waiting for transport. Others chew as they sell their wares. Chewing galore!

I am concerned about littering that comes as a result of the maize chain. 

Now I am not saying that these are the only ones who are contributing to the litter in Harare and other places. 

Very sadly, Zimbabweans have become litter bugs. One will finish eating and just throw it on the ground, yet in most places, litter bins are available. 

Is it the attitude that there are people who are employed to sweep the streets that we have become so careless? Do you honestly think that you are saving their jobs by littering?

Since the beginning of the year, I have noticed a bad trend in one of the toilets that I am using frequently. 

I am carrying out my investigations and it is only a matter of time that I catch the culprit.

 I know for certain the culprit is a female. Now, I interact with females who I consider to be smart not just in terms of their appearance, but even brain wise. 

These are the ones with access to the toilet that I am referring to. I have concluded that the culprit is not a visitor, but “one of us.”

The occurrence is regular and consistent. So, it cannot be a visitor who does that. Unless the visitor comes regularly. For now, I have ruled out visitors!

From an early age I was taught that when you leave the toilet, take a good look and ensure that there are no tell signs of what you were doing as such evidence is demeaning and dents your dignity. I was also told that leave the toilet in the state that you would like to find it in. 

My daughters know from an early age that I am particular about toilets and bathrooms. If I do not think that it is not clean as I expect, I will recall the one who was last to use it. If there is water on the floor, mop. Clean after yourself. 

Now this culprit is leaving the packaging from sanitary ware, be it pads, panty liners and tampons on the toilet floor. 

There is a sanitary bin in that ladies’ toilet. So, what she cannot do is crumple the packaging and throw it in the bin? Seriously? Does putting litter in the bin dent one’s self esteem or self-worth? No, rather the opposite is true. 

When one is on their menstrual period, the checking after toilet use should be thorough. 

One does not have to let the world know that “it is time” by decorating the toilet with uncalled splashes of red or sanitary ware packaging! 

This could be happening in other toilets, it is not good. Everyone should learn to clean after themselves. There is no swag in being a litter bug, at home and away!