Harare residents should stop being cry-babies and mobilise to clean their suburbs instead of blaming the local authority, Chisipite residents have said.
Chisipite dwellers, among whom were house-wives, gardeners and volunteers from different groups, set the ball rolling last week by cleaning up their area. Four teams of 15 people each gathered at the Chisipite shopping centre and cleared the place of the litter that had grown into little hills.
“We are the people who stay here and it should be our responsibility to clean up our place. It’s our Zimbabwe and our responsibility so we should stop being cry-babies and act to clean our place. City council should come at a later stage to collect rubbish from our bins and not to pick up litter for us,” said Nick Brown.
Another resident Dee Brown said: “I have children who go to school in this area and who shop around this area and I feel it should be the residents’ responsibility to clean up.”
Another resident said they were clearing trenches to get water to flow as the Chisipite round-about flooded when it rained.
“We have a challenge of the flooding in the road when it rains so we are now clearing the place to make sure water flows freely.”
Harare Residents’ Trust said the inhabitants had set a precedent which should be emulated.
“What the residents in Chisipite have done is what we are encouraging. A responsible citizenry where people take the initiative to deal with their problems,” said Precious Shumba, Harare Residents’ Trust coordinator.
