The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
WHEN Mr Tonderai Shoko first embarked on an initiative to encourage Bulawayo residents to keep the city clean in a bid to restore its radiant reputation of being one of the cleanest on the African continent, little did he know that he would attract international attention.
With today marking 829 days since the launch of the initiative in 2017 — which runs under the theme “It does not take much to make a difference, let’s keep our city clean’’, Mr Shoko’s idea has attracted the interest of not only the corporate sectors, but that of other local boards and a neighbouring South Africa’s local authority.
Mr Shoko, who has not missed a single day of picking litter since he embarked on the campaign, has made great strides, which have seen him being endorsed by local companies, churches, as well as the Bulawayo City Council.
A fortnight ago, Mr Shoko was in South Africa, where he was invited to make a presentation about the initiative. While in South Africa he was also endorsed by one of Johannesburg’s township council’s — Diepsloot — to be an ambassador of their anti-litter campaign.
“It was and is a great honour to have been recognised for this initiative. When I first started it I never knew that it would have this much of a magnitude in getting people to realise the importance of keeping our environment clean. We went to South Africa, where we had been invited by a regional director under the City of Johannesburg, Mrs Abigail Ndlovu. We undertook a day-long clean-up campaign in the township of Diepsloot, were the response was magnificent. Residents were excited to be part of the initiative,” said Shoko.
He said he would soon be launching an artistic anti-litter initiative, which is in line with his vision to enforce creative measures to attract the attention of not just the Bulawayo community but the world.
“We will combine innovation and trash to send a message to the people about the consequences of litter. We hope to see people embrace the idea and we will be working with schools primarily and it is a good way of getting people to understand.
“It is more of a relevant and practical way to get people to understand the importance of not littering,” said Mr Shoko.
Mr Shoko, who started the campaign with the support of his family in 2017 after being irked by the growing number of litter bugs, said he was overwhelmed by the support he has received adding he was hopeful that the campaign would encourage a culture of responsibility among residents.
In the anti-litter campaign, Mr Shoko goes around the city picking up litter, educating residents on the importance of waste management and posting on his various social media platforms of the campaign.
At times he is joined by celebrities, in a bid to encourage residents to develop an anti-litter mentality.
“It has been a long journey; from where I started to where the campaign is today. I however, remain honoured by the support I am receiving. As an individual I have also learnt a lot in terms of waste management and I especially enjoy imparting knowledge to residents as we go about our the anti-litter drive. What I am happy about is that from when I started the campaign has attracted the attention of various companies that are willing to assist us in fighting pollution. The aim of the campaign was to impress upon Bulawayo residents to keep the city clean.
“Initially we really didn’t plan on it being a campaign but showing an act of responsibility and trying to get people to emulate what we are doing,” said Mr Shoko.
@peterkmatika
