Herman Mashaba's lessons from Rwanda
The volunteer cleanup programme launched in Johannesburg recently is pushing people to be involved in the wellbeing of their city. MayorHerman Mashaba picked up the idea during a visit to Rwanda
In post-genocide Rwanda, president Paul Kagame instituted the practice of mandatory communal labour to enhance political and economic development. This followed the killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwandans in the 1990s. Since 2007, Umuganda Day has taken place every last Saturday of the month, and it is seen as one of the reasons why Rwanda ishailed as an extremely clean country. According to Rwandapedia, which seeks to tell the story of Rwanda’s development and is funded by the African Development Bank, Rwandans between 18 and 65 must participate in Umuganda, which can roughly be translated as “coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome”.
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