By 
By Ross Moyo
NetOne has scaled its Mega National Clean-Up Campaign into a 7-city “Tech for Sustainability” program, linking network operations to environmental stewardship across Harare, Chitungwiza, Masvingo, Bindura, Bulawayo, Nyanga and Zvishavane.
The telco says every digital product creates physical waste — and digital infrastructure can solve it. With Vision 2030 and NDS2 pushing ESG compliance, NetOne is positioning environmental data and community mobilization as part of its core tech mandate, not CSR side-projects.
The campaign moves beyond litter-picking into three tech integrations:
*1. Product-Lifecycle Accountability*: NetOne PR Manager Ernest Magadzire tied SIM cards, recharge vouchers, and promo packaging directly to pollution risk. “Every NetOne recharge voucher, SIM card packaging and promotional material that is carelessly discarded has the potential to pollute the very communities we serve,” he said. “Through initiatives such as the Mega National Clean-Up Campaign, we are encouraging every Zimbabwean to become a responsible environmental steward.”
*2. Digital Tools for Clean-Up*: In Bindura and Harare, NetOne deployed GIS to map illegal dumpsites and is beta-testing “CleanCity USSD _149#” for residents to report waste hotspots in real time. The platform will reward verified reports with airtime, turning cleanup into crowdsourced data collection. Beta starts 20 July.
*3. Tech-Enabled Partnerships*: The telco worked with Bindura Town Council, EMA, Harare City Council, and schools including Quinton Junior School and Herentals College to embed digital + environmental literacy. “Partnerships with corporates like NetOne show that environmental stewardship is not the duty of government alone—it is a shared responsibility,” said EMA Environmental Education Officer Praisemore Mapfumo.
*Generational + Tourism Tech Tie-In*: In Nyanga, clean-ups protect a premier tourism asset whose booking and marketing are now fully digital. “Protecting destinations such as Nyanga is particularly important because our environment is one of our greatest national assets,” Magadzire said. “Clean communities promote tourism, improve public health, strengthen local economies and create a better Zimbabwe for generations to come.”
*Stakeholder ROI*: Harare City Council’s representative Sebastian Mageza said cleanliness underpins the “Sunshine City” smart-city goal. “By maintaining cleanliness, we safeguard our heritage and create a city that embodies sustainable development.”
*Why it matters for tech*: At 30 years old, NetOne is moving beyond connectivity into sustainability infrastructure. The clean-up is now a national movement using digital tools — USSD reporting, GIS mapping, and lifecycle tracking — to prove telcos can monetize ESG. “The Mega National Clean-Up Campaign is more than a monthly exercise—it is a national movement that reminds us all that safeguarding our environment is everyone’s responsibility,” Magadzire said.
NetOne says future iterations will link cleanup data to network planning: cleaner communities reduce vandalism and improve site uptime, directly tying ESG to network KPIs. “Through collective action, strategic partnerships and unwavering commitment to national priorities, the company remains at the forefront of initiatives that protect the environment, enhance community well-being and contribute meaningfully to building the prosperous, upper-middle-income Zimbabwe envisioned under Vision 2030.”
This isn’t about brooms. It’s about a telco using USSD, GIS, and product-lifecycle data to turn ESG into network infrastructure. SIM packs to clean streets — with tech in the middle.
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