00:01On Kinshasa streets, the groups of men in their distinctive blue overalls and bright yellow rubber boots are everywhere.
00:11They are former gang members drafted into the national service, and they have one mission, getting the city's litter problem
00:18under control.
00:21It's much to the joy of the residents.
00:26The activities relating to sanitation in the city are truly commendable.
00:31I'm generally proud of them, given the involvement of the national service in sanitation and environmental protection here in the
00:37city province of Kinshasa.
00:40It's something that deserves recognition, encouragement, and if necessary, more resources, so it can be extended to the neighbourhoods.
00:49We really mustn't limit ourselves to the main arteries of the capital.
00:58The cleaning crews, known as the builders, have been praised for improving streets and spaces in a vast city that
01:05has no public bins.
01:07But often they only tackle a symptom of the problem, not the root cause.
01:14They do a good job, but when they leave, some people put the rubbish back again.
01:20So I'd like them to stay permanently in all the places where they work.
01:25Because we've seen in Canggu how they stay here, in the public square sitting on chairs.
01:32And since they stay there, people are afraid to throw rubbish onto the road.
01:39But the builders' own behaviour is also under scrutiny.
01:42They are accused of violence towards citizens that may be engaging in antisocial behaviours.
01:47Some observers have also criticised their recruitment process, which remains opaque.
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