HARARE Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda has proposed that residents who litter the environment be humiliated by being dressed in distinctive protective clothing and made to pick up litter on Saturday mornings.

He said this would ensure they are "suitably embarrassed".

"If I had my way, the persons who litter with impunity and indulge in other anti-social behaviour at designated shopping centres should not only be compelled to pick up the litter, but also de-choke the drainage system in distinctive protective clobber on Saturday mornings so that they are suitably embarrassed," he said.

Mr Masunda said that form of punishment would be the most effective deterrent to littering.

He made the proposal while giving a run down of what his council hopes to achieve in 2012.

Among his top priorities is to achieve a much cleaner Harare. His main wish is to inculcate the GOYA syndrome into the minds of all stakeholders so that they may take charge of their respective little patches where they live and work.

The term GOYA is a buzz word used by management gurus to urge each other to stop being armchair critics and get off their seats and work.

Mr Masunda said he has a very dim view of litterbugs as well as "supposedly enlightened individuals who for inexplicable reasons choose to quaff their favourable tipple and munch roasted chibage and nyama in the most unhygienic circumstances at dens of inequity like Pennywise Liquor Centre and KwaMereki".

 He said his three and half year stint as Harare's ceremonial mayor has yielded positive results.

"My achievements are self evident, especially in terms of mobilising resources from the corporate sector, multilateral and multinational organisations as well as our twin cities, notably Munich," said Mr Masunda.

"In 2012, I would like to forge a closer bond with all stakeholders so that we may focus our energies on finding sustainable and lasting solutions to our problems."

Harare residents have often complained that the city was failing to provide refuse receptacles at convenient places, forcing them to dispose litter everywhere.

Dairibord recently donated 178 refuse bins to the city to help in the collection of garbage, but that effort could count for naught if the number of bins is not increased to cover the whole city.