The ManicaPost
Nyore Madzianike Senior Reporter
ZANU-PF’s aspiring candidate for Mutare Central, Dr Nancy Saungweme, has sealed an environmental pact with Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and Mutare City Council aimed at collecting garbage in most parts of Mutare Central constituency.
The deal saw Dr Saungweme providing a front-end loader, with Mutare City Council coming in with refuse collection trucks while EMA availed litter bins.
Some parts of Mutare Central like Sakubva Musika bus terminus and Flea Market, which had gone for months with uncollected garbage, have already started benefiting from the deal which started last Friday.
Dr Saungweme, who is also a Zanu- PF provincial executive member and renowned land developer, told the Manica Post that the deal was long over-due.
“We started this clean-up programme a long time ago but we noted that litter piling problems have been continuing resurfacing since council has not been collecting garbage. We then engaged EMA so that they could chip in and provide litter bins. EMA welcomed the idea and we then also engaged council. We are now rolling out the clean-up campaign which will see us collecting garbage around the Mutare Central constituency,” she said.
Dr Saungweme said scattered uncollected litter, especially in Sakubva, had posed a serious health hazard.
She blamed the MDC-led council for neglecting residents and rate payers of Sakubva by failing to provide service delivery.
“This is one area where the City of Mutare has been failing people of Mutare Central and that is why we decided to take it upon ourselves. Issues of health are very important. Health comes first and there was a high risk of diseases outbreak in these areas,” she said.
Mutare Central Zanu-PF Ward 2 chairperson Cde Cecilia Gambe thanked Dr Saungweme for her efforts saying others should take a leaf from her.
“We have gone for a long time without garbage being collected. The MDC sitting candidate Innocent Gonese did let down the people Sakubva. He has virtually done nothing for the people of Sakubva since he came in as MP. We do not know where he is channelling the CDF money. We are grateful that Dr Saungweme came at a time when we were in dire need of such a service,” she said.
EMA district environmental officer Mrs Odette Chipunza, said they were happy to be part of the partnership and applauded Dr Saungweme for coming up with the initiative.
“We are happy to partner with Mutare central constituency’s Dr Saungweme who is g spearheading the clean-up campaign. Today (Friday) we have cleaned several areas in terms of waste management in Sakubva. We have removed more than 10 perennial dumping areas courtesy of Dr Saungweme who offered two tipper trucks and a front-end loader that we used in clearing up the dumping sites,” she said.
