MHANGURA – THIS month’s National Clean-Up Day, held in Mhangura, ushers in a
month punctuated with efforts towards creating a cleaner, safer and healthier
environment running under the theme, ”World Clean Up Month-Join the Cleaning
Movement”.
The theme is a unifying call to action, urging individuals, communities, business, civic
organizations and Government departments to unite through collective efforts in the
pursuit of a cleaner and healthier planet.
In a speech read on behalf of Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs,
Mary Mliswa Chikoka, the Deputy Director of Human Resources, in the Ministry of Local
Government and Public works in Mashonaland West Province, Sunny Seremani, said
they were gathered for a noble cause that fulfills, the constitutional obligations
enshrined in Section 73 of the Constitution for a clean, safe and healthy environment.
“No one except ourselves can make the Zimbabwe we desire; this clean-up is
significant because it is coming after our harmonised elections, which has been
declared peaceful by most observer missions, as we celebrate the success of the just
announced elections results.
“We need to take the advantage of this month’s clean-up and deal with post-elections
ecological footprints in the form of posters and flyers which were used as campaign
material,” said the Minister.
“The election period is over, the focus now is on delivering sustainable development to
our people, no one except ourselves can deliver the development we want and aspire.”

Nyasha Mashiri, a resident of Mhangura encouraged residents in Mhangura to actively
participate in the clean-up campaign instituted by President and held on the first day of
the month.
“In this cleaning-up activity, I would like to encourage all the vendors and the residents
of Mhangura to keep our area clean so that it is safe from diseases.
“Since the establishment of the Town Board Status, the population of Mhangura is
increasing and so are the day-to-day activies and this increases litter, so there is great
need to keep the whole area clean,” said Mashiri.
Residents should always remember to put litter in the bins; it should start with an
individual then spreads to families, then goes to groups, to communities, organisations
then the whole Mhangura area.
Mercy Murairo, also from Mhangura, welcomed the cleaning up of the area and said if
residents in Mhangura are to stay in clean and safe environment and the area should be
kept clean, and by doing so diseases are reduced.
”Our environment is also protected from air pollution, which is caused by veld fires,
people have a tendency of burning bushes and give reasons of ”kuteya mbeva”, or
killing snakes just to mention a few,” said Murairo.
Abraham Magura said it was a special day for Mhangura residents for cleaning up the
environment and keeping it safe.
“If the environment is kept clean, our health improves. We should always put litter in the
bins and not to just throw away papers, plastics and containers everywhere.
“Putting litter in bins should start with vendors as they sell stuff like fruits they should
always have bins near them and I also encourage them to put litter in the bins. This will
also prevent chances of contracting cholera in Mhangura,” said Magura.