“I will, in future, be making unannounced visits to homes countrywide to check on hygiene standards there. I don’t want to find a home with cockroaches.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa cleaning up Mupandawana growth point on Friday. State Media|The national clean-up campaign has made significant impact towards fostering a culture of cleanliness among citizens, the President has said. He made the remarks during a clean-up exercise, which was attended by hundreds of people at Mupandawana Town yesterday.
This was the first time the programme was undertaken in a rural area, where the President led the cleaning of Mupandawana Bus Terminus amid ululation from the people.
Speaking after the 2-hour long clean-up, the President commended strides made so far in inculcating a culture of cleanliness.
He said the fight against littering should start at household level.
“We hope that the clean-up exercise will become a daily habit and I am very happy that Samora Machel Avenue in Harare is now very clean and people have even planted flowers, something that started after we initiated the clean-up campaign.
“Even visitors who come to the city will commend Samora Machel Avenue and say ‘what a clean city this is’ and that is what we want,” said the President.
Taking the clean-up to rural areas, said President Mnangagwa, demonstrated seriousness in the fight against litter.
About 65 percent of Zimbabweans live in rural areas, hence the decision to move there.
The President said the Second Republic valued cleanliness as evidenced by top Government officials who led the clean-up in various parts of the country.
He challenged both rural and urban local authorities to develop waste management policies to tame the scourge of littering.
“In rural areas in particular, putting in place a waste management policy is very important because every single day there is a family that throws away litter,” he said.
The President urged leaders, from village heads and chiefs, to encourage cleanliness, starting with homes.
“I will, in future, be making unannounced visits to homes countrywide to check on hygiene standards there. I don’t want to find a home with cockroaches.
“A home that has cockroaches shows that people staying there are not tidy; they don’t clean their homes and wash their utensils. Smartness should start in the home,” said President Mnangagwa.
He commended the Mupandawana community for keeping their area clean.
The President went down memory lane and narrated the challenges encountered during the liberation war when fighters rarely washed their clothes, forcing some of them to burn them to control lice.
President Mnangagwa advised people to drink water from clean sources or treat it before drinking.
Public transport operators were challenged to have litter bins in their vehicles to prevent the indiscriminate littering.
He further called upon people to plant fruit trees at their homes and have vegetable gardens for healthy living.
Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu commended President Mnangagwa for conceiving the clean-up campaigns.
He said the President’s decision to lead from the front demonstrated servant leadership, and called on everyone to heed the cleanliness drive.
Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira said the province was ahead in implementing the clean-up campaign, with many prominent institutions adopting streets and places, which they keep clean.
Cabinet ministers Owen Ncube (State Security), Professor Amon Murwira (Higher and Tertiary Education), Dr Obadiah Moyo (Health and Child Care) and Zanu PF politburo members Cdes Sydney Sekeramayi, Mike Bimha, Josaya Hungwe, Engelbert Rugeje and Lovemore Matuke, traditional leader Chief Gutu, joined the President during the clean-up.