BY JAMES MUONWA
A group of Zimbabweans based in the Diaspora has teamed up with locals to assist Kadoma City Council to spruce up the mining town in order to shrug off its “dirtiest city” tag and combat disease outbreaks such as cholera and typhoid.
In 2015, Environment Africa adjudged Kadoma the “dirtiest city” in Zimbabwe following an independent survey of the country’s major towns. The city was the epicentre of a deadly cholera outbreak in 2008 attributed to polluted water and unhygienic surroundings.
It is against this backdrop that a non-profit organisation, Kadoma Ndizvo, was founded in 2017 with the aim of inculcating environmental stewardship among residents through clean-up campaigns and ensure safe, clean habitats and healthy lifestyles.
Kadoma Ndizvo spokesperson Floyd Chimboza told Standard Style his organisation complements council and government efforts to infuse, among citizens, responsible litter disposal and general cleanliness.
“We realised that council and government agencies needed our support in ensuring our environment is safe and clean,” Chimbodza said.
“Therefore, we established Kadoma Ndizvo, whose main thrust is to mobilise resources from our Diaspora members, particularly in the United Kingdom, and local partners and use the money to buy detergents, sanitary gloves, gumboots, brooms, disposable bins and respirators, among other materials, used during our clean-ups where we preach responsible litter disposal and cleanliness.”
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Kadoma Ndizvo takes pride in having spruced-up environs around the populous Single Quarter and General Barracks, where residents were living in squalor following years of neglect by the local authorities. The area was associated with illegal dumpsites and filth, which posed a breeding ground for disease outbreaks such as cholera and typhoid.
Kadoma Ndizvo has also committed to partnering council in sourcing equipment for setting-up various social amenities such as children’s play centres in high-density suburbs as well as promoting access to education through scholarships and bursaries.
Chimboza reiterated his organisation’s scope would be broadened to help in the development of the gold-mining city.
