Angela Nothando Mlotshwa and Clive Thabo Dube
THE Mahatshula South Residents Association conducted a clean up exercise on World Earth Day, commemorated every 22 April.
The newly formed residents association was elected into Office early this year collaborated with Bulawayo City Council (BCC), Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Keep Bulawayo Clean and BYO Revival for the clean up campaign and Bulawayo residents in general were invited.
Lack of environment consciousness in the city has seen Bulawayo face difficulties when it comes to waste management. Hence the Mbuso Nyathi led association in support of the environment embarked on the environmental awareness programme.
ZIM GBC NEWS engaged with Ncoselo Moyo, Committee Member in charge of Health for Mahatshula South who said the unruly littering in the sprawling Suburb poses health hazards.
“The high level of filth indiscriminately strewn all over the suburb, including pampers has become an embarrassing eye-sore. Also, we have had some incidences where unruly neighbours would dump their litter in front of their neighbour’s yard. We agreed as a community to have a portfolio that will handle such matters that relate to health and the environment in our suburb, hence this inaugural clean-up.” Said Moyo.
Moyo said the campaign’s objective is to rid Mahatshula South and Bulawayo as a whole of waste and overflowing litter.
“It’s well-known that an unclean environment contributes to and aggravates some health conditions. Our vision for our suburb ties in very well with the National objectives on cleanliness. As well as complementing efforts of other stakeholders who want to revive Bulawayo to its former glory, as the cleanest city in Zimbabwe. We also realized that as residents, we have to be accountable for our habits around managing waste from our homes. Especially in light of the constraints faced by BCC around waste management,” said Moyo.
“Being a new committee on the job, we are still working on our blueprint for further initiatives…we will do Primary School health education through our education coordinator to constantly remind school-going children the importance of a clean environment”, added Moyo.
The 10-member Mahatshula South Residents Association Committee, is led by Mbuso Nyathi as Chairman envisions a Mahatshula South that is a model residential area for Zimbabwe. With a clean environment to live in and aspires to cultivate and entrench a habit of cleanliness and that those efforts will have a domino effect on other suburbs in Bulawayo as well as the rest of the country.
“Our Clean Up campaign was exceedingly successful. We had a record turn out, an out turn that exceeded all residents meetings, including Annual General Meetings.” Said Nyathi.
Nyathi said even the youth turned out for the event.
“It was a joy to see young children, the youth and the elderly join hands to the clean up.
“The highlight was the cleaning of “eMathayeni”. The spot where there is an informal market. It was turned around and left spring clean. During the clean up, participants were greeted by grateful residents…with some taking the occasion to roll up and clean up their surroundings.”
Recently, private institutes and entrepreneurs have been engaging themselves with BCC in a bid to keep Bulawayo Clean.
Pusheka Girl Child in collaboration with Nurses24 and BCC cleaned Mpilo Hospital and the Youth of Innovation from P.H.D Ministries have been filling up potholes.