Mudzi: Dry, thirsty but hopeful

1709-1-1-DSC_1152Sydney Kawadza Senior Features Reporter
Mudzi West constituency in Mashonaland East could be grinding to a halt. Yes, grinding to a halt because resources for development have been scarce and when found are somehow not reaching the people.

The few projects that were established a few years back are under threat due to lack of funding.

Mudzi district, in climatic Region 5, is too dry for meaningful agricultural activities. Low rainfall received in the area has meant the district is in perpetual need of food aid. Availability of potable water is a big challenge and villagers have to travel distances to get water.

Those fortunate enough to have access to the precious resource cannot expand their activities because they do not have the resources to finance irrigation projects.

Even non-governmental organisations that used to complement government have slackened a bit. May be it is because of the stagnation in economic development.

Though the rural electrification programme has been successful in other wards, the bulk of the constituency’s schools and clinics remain in darkness.

Communication still lags behind that access to internet remains a luxury for many school children services that could boost the education systems.

Villagers feel the constituency needs special attention especially from Government to spearhead development in the district.

“The poverty levels in the constituency are alarming that even when people plan to venture into projects funding is not readily available,” said a Government official who cannot be identified for professional reasons.

The official said even poultry and market gardening projects are under threat from funding inadequacies and lack of proper marketing strategies.

“Communication is important for marketing purposes but villagers are not aware of such issues as value addition. There are some projects such as soap making from jatropha but the villagers do not have markets for these products,” he added.

Mudzi West is naturally dry and the extreme temperatures threaten the nutrition gardens.

“There is serious need for the establishment of irrigation system to augment agriculture production for food sustenance in the constituency to avert perennial food shortages that affect people annually.”

In an interview, Mudzi West House of Assembly member Aquilinah Katsande lamented the levels of unemployment in the constituency.

“There are many unemployed youths in the constituency. We would want to start projects for them but our efforts are hindered by lack of funding. We had started poultry projects for women but they are also affected by funding,” she said.

MP Katsande said the weather conditions in the constituency have affected the people’s lives.

“The constituency is in a dry region and there are inadequate boreholes. A case in point is at Musakare Primary School where parents have to travel a long distance to fetch water for the teachers and this is just one example of the water situation in the district,” she said.

The MP said she had mobilized youths to clear bushes along some of the roads.

“Our roads are not that bad because Government provided some graders and we bought diesel to have them graded while the youths were engaged in bush clearing along the roads,” she said.

According to a synopsis from the constituency office, the project has cleared roads including the Chingwena-Chinungo, Shinga-Chisvo, Denda-Mavhurazi, Makaha 30-Nyamuwanga, Suswe-Musanhu, Muzura-Kambanje and Kaitano Turn Off-Kaiano Primary School Roads.

Nutrition gardens in the wards also grow vegetables, beans, butternuts, onions and cucumbers for food sustenance and batter trade.

Farmers in the district have also introduced sack potato production that has seen more than 200 farmers in Suswe, Nyamukoho, Banganya and Masarakufa engaging in the project.

The legislature has also initiated the construction of two clinics at Chingwena and Chimango which have been one of the success stories that involves community engagement between the leadership and the community.

At Chingwena, the clinic has already reached roof level while construction of a staff house is underway.

Mr George Majabvi, the secretary for the Chimango Clinic Development Project applauded MP Katsande for coming up with the community engagement initiative.

“The plan to build a clinic in the area was muted a long time ago and when we held our ground breaking ceremony each village head in the area pledged to 20 000 bricks for the construction of the clinic,” he said.

Mr Majabvi also heaped praise to the youths in the area who have chipped in with labour.

“We have also received support from Tabudirira Vocational Training Centre students and lecturers who have been involved in the construction of the clinic,” he said.

He added that the clinic is a welcome development for the villagers who travelling distances of more than 16 kilometres to get to the nearest health centres.

“The clinic will service at least 3 000 people in the area and we are happy to have been part of the construction of our clinic,” he said.

The Rural Electrification Agency has also electrified the constituency from Suswe to Bangare and the project has also been successful in Shinga and Chimango wards.

MP Katsande however lamented the lack of resources that is hampering her efforts to work with the people.

“I cannot visit or implement projects in some areas because of fuel shortages. Sometimes I am forced to use proceeds from my agricultural activities and there is serious need to empower legislators to implement projects in line with the ZimAsset policy,” she said.

The MP said she was seized with efforts to build more schools in the constituency.

“There are children travelling distances of up to 20 kilometres and we have identified Chisvo School, Nyapfunde and Tsakare for secondary school projects,” she said.

The legislator said there was need to fully utilize available dams in Bangare, Suswe, Shinga, Bangauya and Nyamukoho to boost agriculture production.

“There is need for investment in irrigation schemes to produce food for the constituency. We have small individual gardens but if we can get water pumps we could increase the area under irrigation,” she said.

Mudzi West constituency consists of Shanga, Suswe, Mudzi, Musarakufa and Chiunye wards that mainly rely on subsistence farming and vegetable gardening as a source of livelihood. Those fortunate enough have children working in different towns and occasionally sent them groceries.

The constituency has a population of about 40 000. It has 21 primary schools and 10 secondary schools with a total enrolment of more than 10 000 pupils.

According to the Parliament of Zimbabwe research unit, all the schools were built after independence showing Government’s commitment to make education available and accessible to the majority of the people in the country.

Mudzi West is a generally dry and arid area that requires a lot of boreholes for domestic use by the communities.

Parliament recommends that children obtain quality education through provision of adequate resources such as trained teachers and basic infrastructure to enable pupils to acquire knowledge and skills which are essential to gain meaningful employment.

The legislature also recommends that more trained teachers should be deployed to the constituency’s schools.

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