In a city that is facing a myriad of service delivery challenges that have left most parts with uncollected refuse, it is often volunteers who step in with efforts to lend a hand to what should otherwise be a council obligation.
Such gestures, which often take the shape of clean ups, have become quite common and are often sponsored by corporates. But in a unique way, a group of Mt Pleasant women, who have since named themselves Mount Pleasant Heights Ladies Association, came together last week for a clean up campaign in the suburb.
The campaign, which is the second after they undertook the first one in 2015, and was meant to discourage littering and general dumping of garbage in open spaces.
Organising committee representative, Faith Pika said, “It is disturbing to notice how people are so comfortable rolling down their car windows and throwing out empty cans of drink and empty boxes of food as they are driving, particularly along our main road. We just want everyone to become aware that we are responsible for our community’s upkeep. As others cut grass, some where removing dump sites and picking litter. Harare City council assisted in collection of garbage at various locations,”she said
The association’s chairperson Ruby Munhupedzi, said,”I believe that women are the real architects of society and so we must rise up and educate, act and remind those around us so that we have a better tomorrow for our nation. We are so involved in our community and as such we have good relations with Zimbabwe Republic Police because of our proximity to the Malbrough Police station. We also engage regularly the City Council and the Environmental Management Agency”
