Mandatory community service for reoffending litter bugs

Harare, (New Ziana)-The government will soon gazette a statutory Instrument (SI) which will introduce deterrent fines for public littering while committing repeat offenders to community service without the option of a fine.

Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu told the Senate on Thursday that Cabinet had approved the SI last month.

He said the SI will also make the national cleanup program compulsory for state entities, businesses and vendors.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the national cleanup campaign in 2018 in a move aimed at encouraging citizens to clean their environment on the first Friday of every month.

Ndlovu said it was high time a law to support the national clean–up campaign is promulgated.

He said through the SI, funds collected by local councils from residents for waste management will be ring-fenced in order to prevent their diversion, with Environmental Management Agency supervising their utilisation.

“The last intervention is that massive awareness and education programmes be undertaken starting with a re-launch of the national clean-up campaign in order to enforce a mindset against littering and general disorder.

“It is important that we lead our respective communities in cleaning the environment and more importantly in making sure that adequate measures are put in place to ensure that the environment continues to be clean,” said Ndlovu.

New Ziana