The Sunday News
Vincent Gono, Features Editor
FOR a time that stretches far into the distant past, communities in the rural districts of Matabeleland provinces have been struggling to realise significant progress in the area of infrastructure development.
Basic infrastructure development had been elusive due to a number of factors that include but were not limited to the unavailability of adequate financial resources. Clinics were few and far and so were schools. Buildings at the existing clinics and schools in the districts were not only enough but old and sometimes no longer fit for purpose. Some were now too small to service the growing population while others had become obsolete and therefore needed new ones that speak to modern trends.
Those that were old had started responding naturally to wear and tear and were crying out for refurbishment but still, resources were inadequate.
Bridges that had been swept away by successive cyclones from the destructive Cyclone Eline to the recent Cyclone Dineo had not been repaired and so were the dams.
Dams are an important component of human and animal life in the region because much of it falls in the extreme dry natural ecological Region 5 and that they were destroyed and not repaired was a cause of a constant headache.
Communities were, however, getting used to their lifestyle that was so devoid of comfort but had nowhere to turn to. The Central Government’s coffers were bereft of opulence and so the communities were left to organize themselves and do what they could with the little available resources to improve their lives.
Distances to nearest clinics and schools remained painful. Some would walk more than 20km to access health services and it was not easy to expecting mothers who would be ferried on donkey drawn scotch carts if not on the back of bicycles.
In short, life was not easy. This is until recently when the Government of President Mnangagwa started disbursing money to councils in the country under devolution a – concept of governance where decisions are community centred and people driven and where power is develves from the centre to the periphery.
With the funds, roads, bridges, clinics and schools have started been constructed or renovated and that has brought relief to the communities that now tell tales of the potential and promise of a transformed life.
Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister for Matabeleland North Province Cde Richard Moyo told Sunday News that the devolution funds were a stitch in time for the province.
He thanked President Mnangagwa saying he was grounded in the reality of people’s concerns and troubles and was no stranger to what needed to be done in Matabeleland as a region as espoused in the economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
He said it was fascinating that the new political dispensation hit the ground running by taking up, funding and setting achievable completion timelines for all the stalled projects in the region that separated it from the rest of the country and left its communities feeling neglected.
“Capital projects such as the Gwayi-Shangani Dam which is an important component of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP) were financed and work is in progress. We are happy with the progress and hope that by early next year it will be complete,” he said.
The project is also expected to arrest the relocation and closure of industry in Bulawayo that is no longer a preferred investment destination owing to the perennial water shortages.
It is also going to create a greenbelt downstream where irrigation land has already been set.
The Minister also talked spoke about the refurbishment of Unit 7 and 8 of the Hwange Power Station saying Unit 7 is expected to be commissioned in November next year while Unit 8 is scheduled for commissioning in February 2023.
Minister Moyo said the Bubi-Lupane irrigation scheme expansion to 700 hectares was also a milestone achievement of the Second Republic and its commitment to ensuring food security in the province.
He also mentioned the 400 hectares Bulawayo-Kraal Irrigation Scheme in Binga which he said was being worked on with a view of drawing water 2km from the scheme.
“Water was drawn 14km away but now there is a contractor working to reduce the distance to 2km. We also have a number of clinics, schools, bridges and roads that are being worked on using devolution funds in all our districts such as Lupane, Tsholotsho, Umguza, Bubi and Nkayi. The Government is also working on the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road, Binga-Siabuwa-Karoi Road while it has completed provincial offices at Lupane Centre and relocation should be complete between February and March next year. Lupane Provincial Hospital and Lupane State University hostels as well as the Provincial Minister’s residence were all constructed by the Second Republic while Tsholotsho flood victims’ houses are almost complete,” said Cde Moyo.
Gwanda Rural District Council (RDC) acting chairperson Mr Nkosilathi Ncube said they received $31 299 600 devolution funds and they channeled it to new and existing projects in the district and the results were very encouraging.
“The amount of work that we have done so far with the resources we got from the devolution allocation is so motivating. We managed to finish a number of projects that were affected by limited resources. We also started new ones that are at different levels of completion. The communities are very happy and grateful to the government for rolling out the devolution concept as they feel they now own the development process in their respective areas,” he said.
“We are working on a girls hostel block at Mzimuni High School in Ward 3 at a cost of $2 169 380 and we hope to complete it in June next year. The project is at 50% so far. We are left with plastering of the eastern wing of the hostel block, ceiling, glazing, plumbing and construction of ablution facilities,” said Mr Ncube.
He also talked about Mandihongola Clinic whose construction is still in progress as a milestone achievement in the provision of health services to more than 2 530 beneficiaries.
The clinic according to Ward 11 councillor Coster Ndlovu, was started by the community a few years ago but its progression was going at a snail pace owing to shortage of resources.
“The coming in of the devolution funds made things easier for the Mandihongola community as it meant that the project that they were agonisingly putting effort to complete was going to move faster in a short space of time than they had anticipated with their little resources at their disposal. The devolution funds were used to fill in the gap of inadequacy that was open and we are happy with the stage that we are on so far,” said Cllr Ndlovu.
He added that its completion was going to ease the walking distance of people to the nearest health centre which was more than 20km from the community.
Construction work at the clinic was at 80 pecent complete and so far, they have used $6 910 572 of the devolution funds while they expect the project to be complete in June next year.
The project chairman, Mr Bernard Mdlongwa, said during a tour of the project that it was not easy to get where they were.
He, however, expressed gratitude saying all the major works were almost done. The clinic is fitted with a state-of the art solar system, a borehole for provision of water and a perimeter fence for security.
“We worked very hard for this project to get to where it is. Before the devolution funds the project had been limping but now, we are certain we are getting there and it gives the community a lot of relief,” said Mr Mdlongwa.
Other than Mandihongola Clinic, there is Mashaba Clinic in Ward 19 where a mothers’ waiting shelter is being constructed and is at 80 percent complete with the acting CEO saying it will benefit 300 people.
It is expected to be completed in January next year.
The acting nurse in-charge Sister Priscilla Mano said the clinic services four villages and before the construction of a mother’s waiting shelter pregnant women were facing challenges of walking from home for check-ups which was strenuous.
Another mothers’ waiting shelter is under construction at Garanyemba Clinic whose completion is expected to be in March next year.
Other clinics under rehabilitation with devolution resources include Lushonkwe with a beneficiary record of 4 510, Sitezi (3 258), Mapate (2 464) and Silikwe (9 784) where various services were done such as painting, provision of water, ceilings and purchase of water pumps.
The acting CEO Mr Ncube said the devolution funds were used to repair storm damaged schools such as Sabiwa, Shape and Mandihongola Primary Schools whose roofs were blown off by storms at a total cost of $303 604.
There is also Matulungundu Bridge in Ward 16 that is under construction and Khobotwane-Pelele-Gungwe Bridge in Ward 12 that council builder Mr Cephas Sibanda said were important in facilitating communication between communities.
This has been coupled by other road works such as water drainage and road grading exercise at Samlodi/Mkhonyeni road that has been completed.
Council is also working on developing 816 residential stands at Manama Rural Service Centre with a draft layout plan having been produced and awaiting approval by the Ministry of Local Government.
They are also planning on developing Ntepe Rural Service Centre. It has also capitalized its road equipment by procuring a tractor as well as a generator to backup power supply at the office.
The Acting CEO also mentioned the food security area saying they were focusing on developing the Guyu area with 2000 hectors to be put under irrigation after the completion of the Tuli-Manyange Dam where they plan to do fisheries and enhance the district’s tourism potential.
Council chairperson Cllr Jorum Ndlovu applauded the work that council was doing using devolution funds in improving service delivery in communities.
“The idea is good. At least we have seen development and the good thing is that it is coming from the people who choose what priority areas to focus on. Some of the projects that were taking time to complete were completed. We appreciate that we can not do everything at once but the Government should increase the figures so that no community will feel left out,” said Cllr Ndlovu.
