By Moses Ziyambi
The City of Masvingo, which took part at the just ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo, put on a sterling performance at the prime trade show case that saw the city winning second position in best display among other councils.
The award came at the back of another prize the city received from the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing in recognition for its efforts to combat pollution.
Speaking on the ZITF award, Mayor Hubert Fidze praised the good team spirit in the city for the award.
“We owe this to the good working relations that exist among the people of Masvingo; from councillors, management and their employees to ordinary residents of this city. We achieved this in face of stiff competition from big municipalities such as Bulawayo and Kwekwe,” said Fidze.
He commented the progress that council is making in maintaining optimum service delivery.
“We have managed to get this recognition despite challenges we have with regards to rate collection. It proves that the rate payer’s money is being put to good use,” he said.
The mayor also said the second prize on pollution prevention, which came with a shield and certificate, showed the city’s commitment to a clean environment.
“I personally have championed the issue of proper dumping of diapers to prevent them from getting into our water bodies and there has been a marked improvement ever since. We are also happy that all our sewer water is going to Standard Farm and none is going into the river in its raw state.
“Our aim is to surpass the level that has been reached by Kigali and Windhoek which are rated among the cleanest cities in Africa. We value the perfect working relationship between us and other stakeholders like EMA in achieving that,” said Fidze.local
