MBARE residents yesterday partnered with the Environmental Management Agency (Ema) and council in removing piles of garbage from Magaba Market, Matapi Flats and Mbare Polyclinic.
Under the banner of Mbare Cousins Community Trust, the residents said garbage has become a threat to many lives, putting people at risk of diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
They said uncollected rubbish has created breeding places for rodents, flies and mosquitos, which have become a menace to people living in the flats.
The Trust’s chairperson, Simbarashe Chanachimwe, said they had partnered several partners in pulling resources to hire tippers and front-end loaders which took turns in clearing the rubbish that had become an eyesore in the neighbourhood.
“We have taken the initiative as residents to be proactive in creating the environment we want.
“There is no one who will do it for us and it is us who are exposed to the garbage which has become breeding spaces for mosquitos and flies and resultantly diseases such as cholera and typhoid,” Chanachimwe told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday.
The residents appealed to the council for rubbish bins and constant collection of litter to reduce dumping in the area.
They were joined by the popular DJ Fantan and reggae singer Ras Caleb, who also operate in the Mbare Matapi Flats.
“The President is leading national clean-up programmes and we are also doing our part in cleaning our area.
“We call on the city fathers to avail bins and ensure that they are regularly collected otherwise the pile up will be back within a few days,” Chanachimwe said.
“Our theme is what was Mbare before? What is Mbare now? And what is the Mbare we want? We cannot fold our hands and expect someone to come to our rescue.
“There are several people who were born and bred in Mbare, business people and we call on them to partner this initiative.
“We do several activities including catering for the elderly and people living with disabilities whose lives have been severely impacted by Covid-19 induced lockdowns,” he added.
Ema Harare metropolitan province spokesperson Batsirai Sibanda called on residents to desist from garbage dumping and practice recycling.
She said there is money in garbage through the recycling exercise.
