Zimpapers Logo

George Maponga in Masvingo

Villagers across Gutu district have hailed the Second Republic’s thrust to uplift rural areas through funding various projects using the devolution funds with five clinics currently under construction.

Five clinic projects are at various stages of completion and villagers are happy with the pace at which development is coming to rural areas in line with Vision 2030.

Besides the clinics that are under construction there are at least three solar-powered piped water schemes that have being developed in wards 2,34 and 39 in Gutu using devolution funds.

The new Gutu vegetable and flea market in Mpandawana town has also been well received by residents who are now able to trade from spacious stalls in a clean environment. hese projects were rolled out beginning 2019 after the advent of the Second Republic, but already a lot of ground has been covered.

Gutu Rural District Council has to date received over $81 million from Government under devolution funding towards the ongoing projects.

In Ward 23, Makwirivindi Clinic, nursing staff houses and a solar powered borehole are being built using devolution funding with $8,3 million having already been sunk into the projects.

Mr Jonas Mukaro of Mupinga village says completion of Makwirivindi Clinic will revolutionise health delivery in Chiwara.

“We have been appealing to authorities since the 1980s that we need a clinic in our area(ward 23) because of the spike in population but we never got a positive answer until after the Second Republic that we saw a new clinic emerging at Makwirivindi, Government deserves a pat on the back because we used to walk long distances to Majada Clinic or Bikita Minerals for medical attention,”said Mr Mukaro.

The same sentiments were echoed by Mupinga village head Mr Isaaih Mupinga who said the new clinic at Makwirivindi was a boon for expectant mothers.

“We are happy that Government is walking the talk on vision 2030 because with the way new developments are taking place very soon rural areas will soon be with the same health facilities like in towns and cities. The new clinic will come in handy, especially for pregnant mothers in Chiwata who were walking all the way to Bikita Minerals,Mukaro Mission or Majada clinic for medical attention”he said.

Mr Jasper Muoti from Majada village in Chiwara said building a new clinic at Makwirivindi would decongest Majada Clinic.

“Since independence we only had one clinic at Majada whose catchment area covered far flung areas such as Chikuru, Cheshumba, Chidyamauni, Matanda and Chekure and all this is coming to an end because of the new Makwirivindi Clinic. The new clinic will reduce the distance people walk to access health services in and around Chiwara” said Mr Muoti.

Mr Solomon Chinaka of Mugodhi village hailed establishment of a solarised piped water scheme at Bhasera business centre saying the development was confirmation that the Second Republic is committed to uplifting people’s lives.

Bhasera is billed to become a growth point in Gutu succeeding Mpandawana once the latter becomes a full-fledged town.

Mpandawana is currently run by a town board but is yet to tick all the requisite boxes enabling its official designation as a second town in Masvingo province run by a town council like Chiredzi.

Vendors at Mpandawana say the new vegetable and flea market at Mpandawana was a boon for growth of their businesses as they would now be operating from a cleaner and spacious environment.

“What council is doing is very encouraging because we are seeing changes in our operating environment which means the future is bright. 

‘‘We will have more bigger spaces to sell our wares from after completion of the vegetable market and new flea market,” said Miss Linia Dube, a vendor from Gonville in Mpandawana.

Gutu RDC chief executive Mr Alexander Mtembwa says the local authority was grateful to Government for funding the projects and the local authority had been consistently receiving funds from Treasury.

He said most of the devolution funding was channelled towards building clinics and piped water schemes saying improving health and sanitation were some of the priorities of his council as the nation angles for Vision 2030.

To date the local authority had received slightly over $80million since 2019 in devolution funding for projects across the district. Most the projects were at various stages of completion.

“At Muchekayaora a new clinic is taking shape and the project status is ongoing,we are also building houses for nursing staff and we have drilled a solar powered borehole to supply water to the new institution. To date over $9 million has been pumped into the project,”he said.

Mushayavanhu Clinic, staff houses for nurses and a solar powered borehole project that is also ongoing had chewed over $6 million to date.

Nearly $8 milion  had been spent at a similar project at Makumbe clinic in Ward 35 while the ongoing building of Ndahwi clinic in Ward 32 together with houses for nursing staff and a solar-powered borehole had so far cost slightly above $7 million.

According to Mr Mtembwa, over $8 million had been pumped into the construction of the new Makwirivindi Clinic and building houses for health staff and installing a solar-powered borehole for uninterrupted water supplies.

The vegetable and flea market projects at Mpandawana town had cost a combined over $5 million though work is still progressing.

Communities in and around Chiguhune and Bhasera would draw immense benefits from piped water schemes funded by devolution with some of the beneficiaries eyeing green produce farming to boost nutrition and household incomes that have a bearing on their living standards.