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Many roads in high-density suburbs have been eaten away to create mini-dams that are a nightmare for motorists and pedestrians alike

Hildegarde The Arena
NO matter how old, the leopard never loses its spots, so goes the saying. We are a people that take pride in places we call home.
If these homesteads happen to be in rural areas – “kumusha” (Shona) or “ekhaya” (SiNdebele) – they are a source of self-esteem. Not only do we talk about them, but we also boast about the developments we have carried out. This is whom we are, what makes us different from other people because our origins or roots are that important.

This is why we have seen some communities living in low-lying areas like Muzarabani refusing to be relocated because there is something of value in those places they call home, meaning that little becomes much when there is that value addition.

Behind this tall grass are two schools.

The homesteads we take pride in are not only the rural environs. Rural-urban migration since the dawn of colonialism has meant that even urban areas qualify to be those “kumusha/ekhaya” because a large percentage of the population now reside in urban or peri-urban areas.

Some people were born there and they do not have any other place to call home. These places include Mbare, Highfield, Mabvuku/Tafara, Dzivarasekwa, Mufakose, Kambuzuma in Harare; Dangamvura and Sakubva in Mutare; Rimuka in Kadoma; Chinotimba in Victoria Falls; Luveve, Lobengula and Mzilikazi in Bulawayo; Mucheke in Masvingo; Dulibadzimu in Beitbridge, to name but a few.

The million-dollar question is why the culture of maintaining these urban homes where most people started off before moving on to leafy suburbs has disappeared.

The Shona people say, “Ziva kwawakabva” (remember your roots). Has this been rendered meaningless because of the modern lifestyles? Why is the state of the townships, which were the original homes of black people in post-colonial Zimbabwe in such a pathetic and deplorable state?

Do people have a sense of pride when they see these dilapidated buildings some of which require a fresh coat of paint, the unmaintained roads, the lack of lighting infrastructure and others?

One of the many mounds of uncollected garbage.

Have we failed to be good custodians of these places, which are the birthplaces of the urban black Zimbabwean? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that they remain decent and habitable places?

Last week, I went around a Harare township, and the accompanying pictures tell a story of irresponsible stewardship – past and present. The houses were constructed in the 1960s/ 1970s.

Fifty years is a long time, but one would have thought that the houses, schools, shops and other facilities I saw would be in a better state because from these very same houses, Zimbabwe’s leaders, doctors, engineers, lawyers, company executives and educationists were born and raised.

Instead, these places are nothing but by-words in historical narratives.
The residents interviewed said that although at household level they experience a myriad of challenges, they still wonder what their rates are being used for, if they cannot be channelled towards the common good of their communities.

One of them who identified herself as Mrs Miriam Musonza said: “Why is it that the elites who work in local government have been moving to ‘better’ neighbourhoods that are well maintained while we remain here facing endless problems?”

She added: “Take the story about the drainage system. The residents welcomed the heavy we rains received this season, but for those that have been adversely affected, it’s as if the rains were a curse in their already wretched lives. What is making their situation more miserable is that the drainage systems are clogged making water passage very difficult, which always leads to flooding of some of the households.”.

Poor drainage system that results in flooding in houses close by

Mrs Musonza also said: “The people are their own worst enemies. We do not feel for each other. When council put in place the rent-to-buy scheme, it gave householders opportunities to make changes around their houses. Sadly, one of those changes was the construction of durawalls that block the smooth flow of water during the rainy seasons. This has resulted in flooding of some households and other water-related problems. Where is the local authority, and are there standards for durawall construction?”

The residents also spoke about the perennial challenge of garbage disposal. These mounds of garbage in varying sizes are littered all over the township. The residents asked why they are paying for services that are not rendered, and when the local authority does so, they do a piecemeal job.

Potholes are all over Zimbabwe, but when you have what used to be good commercial roads -used by Zupco buses – being eaten away and creating pools of water, where they endanger lives, again the question to ask is where the responsible authorities are.

The final example of the forgotten and/or deserted homesteads is the tall grass all over, even outside schools and police stations. Not only is this unsightly, but it is also a security risk for children when they go and come from schools. The uncut grass is also a security problem for women who can be raped and/or robbed in broad daylight. The situation is even more serious at night.

Whatever happened to the culture of general work at schools when students were part and parcel of maintaining the school grounds by cutting grass and cleaning up? Is general work in schools also deemed as child labour?

Inspection time at police stations used to raise the bar as everyone at the station contributed towards ensuring that the police station was up to standard.

Many offenders are sentenced to dozens of hours of community service. Since they commit their offences against the people, why can’t they perform their community service in such neighbourhoods that are in dire need of a facelift?

Wherever you call home right now, 50years from now, will the state of that neighbourhood be as deplorable as the townships that are the building blocks in the urbanisation of the black Zimbabwean?

I say it again, little is much when we add value to it, and we can start by going back to those places and taking care of them.