Environment lovers clean up Greengrove Nature Reserve

Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter

LAST Saturday, a small but enthusiastic group of residents gathered at Greengrove Nature Reserve (GNR) on Latimer Road in Greendale to clean-up the park.

The residents, wearing gloves and masks and holding black bin bags, sorted the litter to ready it for recycling while two tractors pulling grass cutters, zoomed around them, scything the long grass.

From a distance, front-end loaders were busy removing the unsightly rubbish dumped in the park and heaving it into tipper trucks.

The success of the initiative was due to the support and generosity of a number of people.

Gratitude was extended to council officials from Greendale District Office, who arranged for City of Harare to cut the grass, the cleansing officials from the department of works who provided the two tipper trucks and Sebastian Durkin PL (T/A Faraday Electrical Contracting) for providing the front end loader.

Participants in the cleanup included former Harare East member of Parliament, Mr Allan Markham, Ward 9 Councillor, Prince Mutebuka, council workers, officials from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and members of the Greengrove Nature Reserve committee.

Speaking after the cleanup, EMA environmental technician responsible for Harare East Mrs Patience Makore thanked everyone who participated in the cleanup.

“According to the provisions of the Environmental Management Act chapter 20.27, everybody has a right to a clean, safe and healthy environment.

“I would like to thank you all for coming to do this cleanup because as EMA we cannot do it alone,” she said.

Mrs Makore urged residents to contact EMA if they find anyone dumping litter, saying: “If you find anyone dumping waste, you need to try to get details of the offender and give me a ring and then we can come and attend to that.”

Mrs Makore pledged to the GNR committee that EMA can also do patrol rounds around the Greengrove Nature Reserve and along Latimer Road.

Mr Markham urged the Greengrove Nature Reserve committee to make fliers asking for residents’ assistance to fix the park saying if kept pristine condition, the park helps maintain the values of nearby properties. He also supported the GNR committee’s plan to establish a recycling centre in the park.

Greengrove Nature Reserve committee member and Greendale Residents and Ratepayers Association chairperson Mr Charles Chirikure, said there was need for residents to instill a sense of pride and belonging to Zimbabwe in the younger generation.

“We appear to be responsible parents but we are bringing up a younger generation that is not proud to be Zimbabwean. We need to foster pride about our homeland in our children for them to care about this country and to work to make it great,” he said.

Cllr Mutebuka said fencing the park should be the Greengrove Nature Reserve committee’s top priority.

Mrs Susanne Chirikure, who leads the Greengrove Nature Reserve committee thanked those who supported the cleanup who included leading hardware retailer Electrosales Msasa who donated bin liners, Food Lovers who donated bananas, apples and bottled water and CuraPlus Pharmacy who donated gloves and masks.

Last year, the City of Harare granted Greendale Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) permission to use and develop Greengrove Park commonly referred to as Willes Dam Park for the benefit of residents. Following the granting of the permission, Mr Chirikure invited residents who are interested in resuscitating the park to come forward and work with the association to revive the recreational facility.

Residents have repeatedly pointed out that the area around Willis Dam also required a community effort to keep it clean and safe as dumping of rubbish was rife there.

Some inconsiderate Greendale residents were dumping rubbish uncollected by the City of Harare at shopping centres such as Kamfinsa and on open spaces such as Trinity Square and Willis Dam creating unsightly dumpsites in the suburb.