The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO Ward 28 councillor, Kidwell Mujuru has introduced a systematic maize meal distribution facility in his area as part of ensuring that residents receive the commodity in their locality while observing social distancing as a way of mitigating the spread of coronavirus.
Speaking on the sidelines of a maize meal distribution point at an area known as Esigodweni in Cowdray Park yesterday, Clr Mujuru (Zanu-PF) said he was prompted to introduce a facility whereby residents through their various sections’ representatives pooled their money together with him approaching millers to purchase the commodity in bulk for onward distribution.
“I realised that there are no shops in this area, which service my Ward (28), yet it’s home to more than 15 800 people, twice as big as Gwanda urban. Residents were being forced to walk and queue for mealie-meal at shops in other areas or nearby suburbs.
“I then, with the assistance of residential representatives devised a system whereby we registered all families from each household and collected their money and approached millers and bought the mealie-meal for them in advance. Since Monday I have distributed 60 tonnes,” he said.
Clr Mujuru said the maize meal distribution programme was being done in accordance with the national lockdown policy.
“Apart from ensuring equitable distribution of mealie-meal at Government’s gazetted price to residents, this programme is being done while observing social distancing as we fight against the spread of Covid-19,” he said.
A representative of segment 11, Mr Johnson Mdlongwa said the maize meal distribution facility introduced by Clr Mujuru would play a pivotal role in boosting household food security.
“This programme is a good initiative, which is of course the brainchild of our councillor. We reside in an isolated area where there are no shops of convenience for us to buy groceries or to get mealie-meal. Apart from being convenient to us this programme will go a long way in improving household food security. I’m a representative of 912 households and today 230 are getting their allocation with the rest getting theirs on Monday,” he said.
Clr Mujuru also said he was working towards ensuring a hospital was constructed to serve Cowdray Park residents.
“The biggest challenge we have in Cowdray Park is lack of a hospital. This is the biggest ward in Bulawayo thus it deserves to have a hospital not a clinic thus I’m tirelessly working around the clock to ensure that a hospital is constructed here. In my short term as a councillor I have managed to carry out a number of developmental projects in this Ward and particularly in this area (Esigodweni ) I have facilitated for the construction of a primary school as well as the main bridge linking the new residential area with the old residential area,” he said.
@DNsingo
