Veteran environmental technician retires

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Mat South Bureau Chief 

FORTY-THREE years of service under the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s environmental health department have seen Mr Clever Ncube churn out a sizeable number of environmental health technicians who have gone on to enforce environmental regulations.

Mr Ncube retired in July at the age of 65 while holding the position of Gwanda Environmental Health Training Officer. He assumed the position in 1987 soon after the establishment of the Environmental Health Training School at the Gwanda Provincial Hospital. 

Mr Ncube has been instrumental in training scores of environmental health technicians that have made positive contributions to the overall enforcement of environmental health protocols. His vast knowledge on environmental health has seen him train students in various colleges in the country as well. 

Mr Ncube was also instrumental in mobilising the Covid-19 response team in Gwanda. His journey in environmental health started in 1976 when he trained as an environmental health technician at Domboshava. He qualified as an environmental health technician in 1979 and started serving in various health institutions and districts. Mr Ncube later obtained a health teacher’s diploma in 1989.

In 1994, he went to Bulawayo Polytechnic College where he attained a Higher National Diploma as an environmental health officer. In 2000 he attained a degree in environmental health.

“When I did my training back in 1976, Domboshava was the only school which was training EHTs. In 1979 I was stationed at Kezi District Hospital where my duties among others were to oversee environmental health issues throughout Matobo District. I served within Matobo District up until 1979 when I moved to Bulawayo and obtained a diploma in health education,” he said.

After attaining a diploma, Mr Ncube started training environmental health technicians. 

“In 1987 I moved to Gwanda where I became the Environmental Health Training Officer while stationed at the Gwanda Provincial Hospital. I joined the hospital immediately after a training school was established and I assumed the responsibility of training students.”

He said environmental health practice was very important as it sought to address health problems at the source. 

Mr Ncube said most illnesses could be prevented by addressing anomalies in the environment. He said some illnesses were caused by contaminated water sources, unhygienic food handling and storing, improper disposal of waste, unhygienic ablution facilities and improper use and storage of pesticides and hazardous substances.

Mr Ncube said the environmental health technicians were present in communities, even in the rural areas to ensure they prevent illnesses. 

“Environmental health technicians educate the people on hygiene maintenance in the environs. There is also a time when they enforce the law through charging fines to those who don’t comply with environmental regulations,” he said.

Environmental health technicians are responsible for working to improve systems and devices that contribute to environmental health. They monitor the environment and look for sources of pollution and contamination, including those affecting public health. They also work to ensure that environmental violations are prevented.

Duties include inspecting business and public spaces. They perform community disease investigation and control, solid water management, water and food safety management and conducting environmental audits. They inspect both food and non- food premises. EHTs also conduct health promotion sessions in the community. 

“We have diseases like diarrhoea, water borne diseases and food poisoning which can be avoided in some cases by practising hygiene through keeping our environs clean and handling and storing our food properly,” said Mr Ncube.

He said he was proud to have served under such a crucial department and to have also sharpened the brains of many. Mr Ncube said while he had retired, he had some literature on environmental health issues that he had published which would become a lifetime treasure for generations to come. He said throughout his years of service he had made it a point that he broadens his cope of knowledge. 

He said the peak of his career was when he had to take a leading role during the Covid-19 period in order to contain the pandemic in the town adding that while the era was scary for many, he stood by the basic regulations which had been set by Government. Following his retirement Mr Ncube moved to his rural home in Capital Block Resettlement where he is concentrating on his farming activities.