He was addressing delegates at a clean-up campaign organised by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) in partnership with the City of Harare, the Environment Management Authority, Environment Africa and Africa Lotto on the build-up to the hosting the 2014 Harare International Carnival.
He said it was the responsibility of businesses to complement council efforts to promote a clean city.
Community involvement was important and it was for everyone to reverse the sorry state of the city and make it a sunshine city once again, able to promote tourism.
“We want a situation where businesses take care of their immediate environment. They should clean their frontages,” he said. “Our duty is to ensure that the anti-littering by laws are enforced, but businesses should also complement our work to make everything better.”
Launched under the theme Celebrating a cleaner environment, the campaign is part of the broad medium- to long-term strategy by ZTA, Harare City Council and their partners to take advantage of the forthcoming carnival to promote and embrace long-lasting solutions to littering through the sustainable waste management practices.
Reported the ZTA: “The campaign is a reminder to city residents about the importance of making their localities clean. It is meant to curb littering and dumping of waste on the city’s streets, open spaces, bus termini, taxi ranks and residential suburbs.”
Everyone is expected to get involved, including residents, local communities, civil society, shop-owners and vendors.
Said ZTA board chair Mara Hativagone: “The provision of bins, regular collection of waste, education awareness, stiff penalties for people that litter the streets and enforcement of the city’s by-laws provided the solution to the current menace.”
Hativagone called on corporate organisations to join with the city council and the ZTA in advocating for a clean Harare.
Added Eva Sande, the general manager for Africa Lotto: “We are part of this initiative because we recognise the importance of a clean environment.
Contrary to popular belief that our business contributes a lot to the litter in the city, we are part of the anti-littering campaign because we have put bins in the city and at bus stops. We are saying ‘no’ to littering and it is our hope that Zimbabweans recognise that a clean city contributes to a healthy nation.”
Post published in: Business Analysis