The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu in Mangwe
THERE was widespread cheer and jubilation in Mambale in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South yesterday as a local boy and businessman Mr Lovemore Moyo officially commissioned a piped water system and electricity supply to several households during a colourful ceremony attended by South African actor, Hamilton Dlamini.
The South Africa-based businessman also revived the local irrigation scheme, while also connecting piped water to the dip tank where villagers dip their cattle.
For the irrigation scheme that was now defunct before he intervened, Mr Moyo bought a submersible pump, four solar panels while sourcing pipes and taps so as to ease the task of watering plants. He also brought electricity to 14 households and piped water to seven homes.
Speaking during a ceremony attended by hundreds of villagers, Mr Moyo said he was gladdened by the appreciation of actions that he did not think much of himself.
“Sometimes you do something and it doesn’t register in your mind and I realised that this was the case when two men stopped me recently and thanked me for what I had done in the area. They said they used to dip their cattle once a month but now they do it in quick succession. It is such things that keep us going and inspires us to keep looking back to our communities,” he said.
Mr Moyo said he was also taking heed of calls by the country’s leadership for those based outside the country to help rebuild Zimbabwe.
“This is something that I have always wanted to do. I want to plough back to the community and give them things that address their immediate needs. I am not a politician but I believe that people should help whenever they can if they can afford it.
“I heard the call from the country’s leaders when they mentioned that Zimbabweans in the diaspora should come back home and invest in their communities. This is exactly what I’m doing by bringing all these developments to Mambale. If more of us can do the same then I believe that Zimbabwe will develop at a much faster rate,” he said.
Cde Hlalani Mguni.
The Member of Parliament for Mangwe Constituency, Cde Hlalani Mguni, said it was encouraging to see a local businessperson spearheading development in Mangwe.
“I’m very happy to see a person from Mangwe Constituency in Matabeleland South bringing back development to his own home area. It’s something that is very pleasing and I think young people who see what he’s doing, who see his beautiful home, are also inspired to do something similar when they get the means to do so. President Mnangagwa says that a nation is built by its children and we are seeing an example of it today.
“What I like in particular is the fact that he did not bring development for himself and his own home only. Having seen the need, he did something for the people in the village and also the local leadership,” she said.
