Zimpapers Logo

From George Maponga in Masvingo
The Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial leadership has castigated MDC Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa for trying to make cheap political capital out of Tugwi-Mukosi flood victims at Chingwizi who have been receiving timely assistance from Government over the past four years.

Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial chair Cde Ezra Chadzamira yesterday said the MDC Alliance and other opposition parties were only giving lip service to the Chingwizi families, with the Zanu-PF Government providing food assistance to them were and plans are at an advanced stage to develop irrigation infrastructure for their benefit.

His remarks came after Mr Chamisa over the weekend accused Government of neglecting Chingwizi families.
Mr Chamisa visited Chingwizi on Saturday and in his address during an MDC Alliance campaign rally at Rutenga, claimed that he almost came close to tears because of the plight of the flood victims.

However, Cde Chadzamira accused the MDC Alliance leader of grandstanding, saying the Zanu-PF Government has been consistently assisting Chingwizi families with a master plan already in place to make sure they benefit from Tugwi-Mukosi Dam.

“It is unfortunate that there are some political parties (MDC-Alliance) who are trying to score cheap political points using the plight of Chingwizi families who have been receiving monthly allocations of food from Government through the Department of Social Welfare from the time they were relocated from Chivi,’’ he said.

“Government has never abandoned those families and even in the face of illegal sanctions imposed at the instigation of the same political parties that are pretending to care so much for the families. Infrastructure such as schools and a modern clinic have been built to benefit the flood victims.’’

Last year, a $500 000 modern clinic with a maternal wing was commissioned at Chingwizi, while two schools at Chingwizi will soon be upgraded under a $20 million project bankrolled by the OPEC fund.

Government, through the Ministry of Health and Child Care was also in the process of constructing a pipeline to convey water from the nearby perennially flowing Runde River to Chingwizi.

“The MDC-Alliance should also know better that Government has an irrigation plan in place that will see the flood victims being among the first to benefit from Tugwi-Mukosi irrigation water. The irrigation master plan is there and right now funding mechanisms are being developed,’’ said Cde Chadzamira.

Turning to the campaign rallies addressed by Mr Chamisa at Mhandamabwe in Chivi North, Muchakata (Masvingo Central), Rutenga (Mwenezi East) and Tshovani (Chiredzi West) beginning last Thursday, Cde Chadzamira said the ruling party leadership was unfazed.

Cde Chadzamira said the poor attendance at the rallies showed the MDC Alliance was in for a rude awakening in the coming polls.

“We are not concerned about the MDC Alliance rallies held by their leader (Mr Chamisa), the attendance was very poor at most of the rallies which shows Zanu-PF is the only game in town,’’ he said.

“We will not be distracted, we are focused on ensuring that Zanu-PF bags all the 26 House of Assembly seats in this province and that our Presidential candidate President ED Mnangagwa records a landslide victory in the July 30 polls.’’