Gweru ELCZ Backs Mnangagwa’s National Clean-Up Day Exercise

Gweru, Zimbabwe - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) joined the national clean-up campaign in Gweru on 6 February 2026, as faith-based groups and civic stakeholders intensified efforts to combat illegal dumping and worsening environmental conditions.

ELCZ Women’s Fellowship partnered with government departments, civic organisations and community groups under the National Clean-Up Day initiative, which was introduced in 2018 to promote a clean, safe and healthy environment.

Speaking to Kwedu News during the exercise, ELCZ Women’s Fellowship chairperson, Thandeka Muwairi, said the church’s participation was inspired by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for environmental cleanliness to be treated as a national priority.

“As ELCZ, this clean-up campaign is founded on the declaration by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2018 that Zimbabwe must have a clean, safe and healthy environment,” Muwairi said.

“As the Women’s Fellowship, we fully support this initiative because cleanliness is next to godliness," she said.

The Gweru Division Women’s Fellowship had agreed to work collectively with like-minded organisations and government departments to support the city’s cleanliness drive, she said.

“As churches, we sat down and saw it fit to unite and clean Gweru together with other organisations such as the city council and many others,” Muwairi said.

She said the campaign had attracted wide participation from various religious groups, parastatals, community members and vendors’ associations.

“We joined hands with the community, parastatals and vendors’ associations. Many organisations came on board,” she said.

The church felt a moral and spiritual obligation to lead by example, she said,  describing environmental stewardship as part of its Christian responsibility.

“The Bible says we are the light and the salt of the earth, so as churches we must lead by example by cleaning our city,” Muwairi said, adding that "we believe cleanliness is next to godliness.”

She further said the initiative was grounded in Christian teachings that emphasise humanity’s duty to care for the environment.

“Our theology teaches us that God gave us a mandate to take care of the garden.

“We have been given the City of Progress, this is where we eat and work, and God reminds us to take care of the garden we have been entrusted with," she said.

The clean-up exercise was conducted at the main bus terminus and almost all the streets in Gweru  from 7am to 9:30am.

The women church leader said the campaign was open to all residents.

“This initiative is for everyone. All residents were invited to participate in the clean-up campaign,” she said.

Beyond the clean-up exercise, the ELCZ Women’s Fellowship said it plans to roll out community workshops aimed at raising awareness on proper waste management and the dangers of littering.

“It is our hope that going forward we will conduct workshops to educate people on the harmful effects of littering, as sometimes people are simply unaware of what they should do,” Muwairi said.

The campaign comes amid growing concern from the Gweru City Council over illegal dumping, which it has described as a “cancer” spreading across the city.

President Mnangagwa, who was expected to be the guest of honour, is on record saying Zimbabwe’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to a clean and safe environment that does not endanger their health and wellbeing.

In December 2018, he declared the first Friday of every month a National Clean-Up Day.