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George Maponga in GUTU
Zoma Resettlement area is one of the remotest places in Gutu West constituency. It is in the heart of what used to be a prime commercial cattle ranching area dominated by white former farmers.

When land-hungry indigenous communities moved into the area during the land reform programme, they were virtually moving into an untamed jungle devoid of basic infrastructure such as roads, clinics and schools, among others.

The situation has been especially dire in terms of health issues as expecting women have to travel either to Matizha Clinic, 16km away or Drienfontein Mission Hospital about 14km to the west.

The dilemma was caused by the lack of roads across the length and breadth of Zoma which stretches from Chiguhune to the east right up to Mvuma in the Midlands.

New communities in the area had to make do without basic facilities as Government struggled to put up infrastructure in resettlement areas owing to the baggage of illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the West.

Fast forward to 2019, the situation in Zoma and other parts of Gutu West that were formerly commercial farming areas is fast changing.

An infrastructural revolution is slowly taking shape, thanks to the devolution programme initiated by the Second Republic to ensure communities at the grassroots have a say in the development priorities of their areas as Zimbabwe angles middle income economy status by 2030.

One of the flagship projects being rolled out with funding from devolution is Zoma Clinic in Gutu West.
The clinic now under construction is one of the projects being implemented using the $1,6 million released to Gutu Rural District Council by the Government under devolution.

All materials for the project have been bought and there is an air of expectation across the Zoma hinterland courtesy of the health facility.

The construction site is a hive of activity with tractors carrying concrete criss-crossing the Zoma grasslands while front-end loaders roar continuously as the devolution juggernaut brings modernity to this previously remote and forgotten place.
Super builders Construction, a Mpandawana-based firm, was awarded the contract to build Zoma clinic.

Besides health spin-offs, the project has brought smiles to the faces of locals through employment creation.
“If all goes well, we should complete this clinic by the end of the first quarter next year,” says Zoma Clinic project foreman Mr Remigio Munyangi. Mr Munyangi said work is going according to plan with the only hiccup being the erratic supply of concrete, which is being transported by tractors from Bikita Minerals Mine about 100km away.

“I have a total workforce of 10 people and I did not bring them from Mpandawana they are locals who I employed so that they also benefit from their clinic project. Our staff complement will increase to 14 as the project reaches a crescendo,” he says.

According to Mr Munyangi, the clinic will have a maternity ward, outpatient department, a dispensary and offices for nurses and senior medical officers.

“The other plus here is that there is a power line that passes directly above the new project so it will be very easy to connect power so the new clinic will be put to use upon completion,” said Mr Munyangi.

Councillor Martin Nhamoinesu from the area said Zoma Clinic’s construction was testimony to the efficacy of the devolution programme initiated by President Mnangagwa’s administration.

“This area was a jungle in the middle of nowhere and people travelled either to Matizha Clinic or Driefontein Mission to access health services which was a burden for many and was costing lives but this will soon be history with the coming on board Zoma Clinic,” he said.

He said Gutu RDC had already bought all the required building materials to finish the project. “There may be challenges with moving some of the materials like quarry which is taken from Bikita Minerals Mine but the rest of the materials are there and Gutu RDC wants this clinic project to be finished as per schedule so that work moves to other projects. The idea for council is to make Zoma a model clinic, which should be replicated in other areas.”

Councillor Nhamoinesu said Zoma was a very remote area and the absence of infrastructure was not shocking.
“White cattle ranchers who used to own farms here never gave much thought to the welfare of their black workers. Most of the commercial farmers sought medical treatment outside the country and never bothered to develop areas where they lived. They never built roads, clinics or even schools for their workers whom they gave scanty regard but thanks to devolution things are now changing for the better,” said Councillor Nhamoinesu.

According to Gutu West National Assembly member Cde John Paradza, besides Zoma Clinic construction, funding from devolution was also being used to expand Ndahwi clinic in his constituency.
This will go a long way in improving health delivery in Ndahwi and surrounding areas.

The road that links Zoma resettlement area to Mpandawana Town, the district commercial capital has been upgraded with devolution funding meaning speedy movement of human traffic and goods thereby promoting the area’s socio-economic development.

Gutu RDC chief executive Mr Alexander Mtembwa said Chiguhune Primary School, also in Gutu West, has received a major boost from devolution funds that were used to install piped water and storage tanks at the institution.

“The piped water scheme is also benefiting the surrounding community in Chiguhune because water and sanitation is our priority and devolution funds will change the complexion of our rural communities if we continue to receive more funds,” said Mr Mtembwa.

With the echoes of devolution reverberating across Gutu West constituency, communities there believe the whole infrastructural landscape will continue to change for the better in line with Vision 2030 with more roads, clinics and schools being built in remote communities.