Tichaona Zindoga Senior Features Writer
A little change – this is perhaps what is needed for big transformations. This is holding true, at least for the people of Shamva South, Mashonaland Central. A few years ago, there was no Shamva South constituency by the way, until electoral authorities delimited Shamva into North and South constituencies. And for the people of the commercial farming and mining area of the south, the change has begun very well.

In an area where infrastructure and utilities have been scarce and underdeveloped, in slightly over a year visible changes have been recorded.
The man behind the nascent developments in the area is Joseph Mapiki, the newly elected member of the House of Assembly for the area.

Mapiki has in the past year alone spearheaded the improvement and development of mainly social infrastructure such as clinics and schools as well as business complexes for small scale enterprises.

He has done so largely by way of expanding existing facilities, conversion of old farm structures while initiating ground-breaking facilities.
And Joseph Mapiki is not a rich man. He is a small-time businessman whose main drive is a passion for development; and the zeal in newfound incumbency.

“I realised that infrastructure is the backbone of the economy and at individual level if you own a building, say for a business, you can survive,” explained Mapiki during a tour of the constituency by The Herald.

“If you look in Harare, there are buildings that were constructed by some Asians as far back as 1923 and generations of these families are still benefiting from them. It is important that we as leaders initiate things for posterity,” said he.

Thus has begun the development of Shamva’s own Gulf Complex at Wadzanai Shopping Centre, a multi-purpose business complex meant to have 380 shops.
“The stands are 16m2 each and were made available for only $128 and beneficiaries have to pay $50 for inspection fees and there after normal council rates,” explained the legislator.

The buildings, which will bring sanity to the sprawling and largely unsightly informal sector, are at various stages of completion but already have raked in a reported $70 000 revenue for the local authority.

The council is also providing title deeds for the properties.
In the health sector, the conversion of old farm houses into clinics is set to help locals that have had to travelling distances to Shamva District, which, in itself, is facing challenges relating to staff and medicines.

Critically, in Ward 21, people were using homemade dug-out canoes to cross the Nyaguwe River to reach Madamombe Clinic in Murehwa District.
Hence, Mapiki has targeted six clinics in six wards – Mhokore (Ward 21), Sanye (12), Chevakadzi (15), Logan (17), Gono (11) and Nyamahumbe (18).
Three of these, Mhokore, Chevakadzi, Logan have reached completion stages and await equipment and commissioning.
“My thinking has been that people should not walk long distances to seek medical help,” said Mapiki.

The communities are a relieved lot.
“We are very happy with the completion of this clinic,” said Johanne Garah, chairperson of the “Clinic Committee” at Mhokore, a bright structure newly painted white on the outside and sitting under a green roof.

“People used to scale Mhokore Mountain to go to Shamva, a distance of about 60km by road or cross Nyaguwe River for the clinic on the other side.
“People used to deliver at home and it was always a hassle to get birth records and documents. People would die or deliver on their way to the hospital,” he said.
The situation has not been helped by the state of roads, some of which had gone for over 10 years without being graded, a situation that the local legislator has also attending to by securing diesel and using the graders availed to the local authority by Zinara to notch a modest 160km of road.

In education, the constituency will soon have its first three boarding schools, after Mapiki identified three secondary schools for expansion to cater for boarding facilities.
These schools are Wadzanai, Jiti and Chevakadzi. There is a socio-economic philosophy underpinning the upgrading of these schools.

“I told parents at these schools that while sending our children to other areas we were exporting cash which we should retain for the development of our area. I told them that the area itself could make money by receiving school children from other areas,” explained Mapiki.

The community has already warmed up to the idea of boarding schools and has been helping with moulding bricks. On the other hand, temporary conversion of farm infrastructure for educational requirements has also been taking place and for Councillor Gadzirirai Mutaiki of Ward 27, infrastructure is key to bridging the development divide.

Mrs Vimbisai Zingunde of Matanda Village 3 noted that the provision of schools would help communities as the lack of facilities led to drop-outs from schools.
The farming club

A 2011 Parliamentary report for the Shamva Constituency, while noting the problems such as lack of school infrastructure noted that this area had “far less” existing head of cattle than its capacity and recommended support for farming and agriculture as the major sources of livelihood.

For the past few years, it had been difficult for the largely disparate resettled families to be organised and fashion a focused community of business-oriented farmers, which was associated with former settler farmers. However, in recent times farmers, including some prominent names, have coalesced for the sake of organisation, exchange of ideas and setting of targets.

Samuel Mangirazi, a former top cop, is the chairman of the Shamva South Farmers Association.
He says the area has traditionally produced maize and soya beans and lately farmers have been venturing into tobacco and horticulture.
The majority of farmers here are A2 while the others are small scale A1 farmers.

The farmers’ association has been working closely with Arex officials, conducting workshops, inspecting model farms, distributing journals, conducting educational tours – members were due to travel to Nyanga by late last month to learn about the growing of potato seed and hot chillies – and setting targets.

“For maize, for example, we say the maximum production per hectare should be 16 tonnes while 14 is the average and 10 the minimum,” said Mangirazi.
The well-watered area has been relatively successful, managing to deliver to the Grain Marketing Board, even in drought years.

Shining examples in the cluster include technocrat Willard Manungo of Masimbe Farm who has managed to secure two centre pivots and has had a large cattle herd and has been engaging in horticulture supplying hospitals, schools and the local authorities. At the moment, he has a nursery of 50 000 orange plants and 20 000 mangoes.
The cattle herd is improving, thanks to an appreciation of the value of the commodity.

“We did not appreciate the value of cattle as we concentrated on crops,” explained Mangirazi, a former police anti-stock theft coordinator.
“Manungo showed us a good example. He sold 200 cattle and managed to secure the centre pivots and other things and I had 180 head of cattle and I sold 90 and bought two tractors. People are now seeing cattle rearing as a lucrative venture,” he said.

In narrowing focus on cattle ranching, farmers need to select proper bulls and cows.
Mangirazi said cows make the turnaround and breeding quicker than heifers.
“With two bulls and 30 cows you can have 90-100 cattle in three years but you need four years for a heifer to start breeding,” he said.

But the farmers said they need more Government support and facilities such as those which the old Cold Storage Company provided on a revolving basis.
He also believes that the thawing relations between Zimbabwe and the European Union, a traditional market for the country’s beef, could provide an avenue for farmers.
Farmers in the cluster say they face challenges such as the vandalisation of electricity installations and random load shedding. And then there are uneasy neighbours in the communal and in the A1 areas who are in the habit of starting unguarded fires. The fires have destroyed some mangoes and citrus plantations.

The farmers are seeking to establish viable fruit plantations – the weather is favourable – a key deficit identified by authorities.
These are some of the discussions that will be taking place in the soon-to-be-established farming country club which will confirm the establishment of the business culture by new black farmers.

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