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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau

Chimanimani Rural District Council has almost completed the construction of a clinic at Hotsprings using devolution funds, as part of efforts to offer critical services to the area, which has become a hotspot for diseases owing to the huge numbers of people that congregate there.

Hotsprings is the nearest business centre to the Chiadzwa diamond fields and has over the years become the meeting area for those seeking fortunes in the fields and those providing various services to them.

Chimanimani RDC chief executive Mr Nehemiah Deure said council had allocated $1,6 million of the $10 million received from Government under devolution funds this year to construction of the clinic.

“We used those funds to construct a new clinic for the community in Hotsprings,” he said. 

“There was no clinic in that area, but we realised that there was a proliferation of diseases such as Malaria and Sexually Transmitted Infections, hence the need for a health centre. 

“Hotsprings is actually a melting pot where people from all over the country meet; from fortune makers looking to go into Chiadzwa and many others. So, we decided to build the clinic to offer those essential services.” 

The clinic, whose structure is now 90 percent complete, is expected to start offering services once all the works and furnishings were complete.

The local authority channelled funding into the refurbishment of Mhakwe Clinic where one wing has already been completed and furnished and work on the other wing is ongoing.

Mr Deure said council was also constructing housing for nurses at Muchadziya Clinic, which are now at 95 percent while another clinic was being constructed at Hlabiso in ward 22 to alleviate challenges being faced by people who have to travel long distances to access the clinic.

Besides the health institutions, Chimanimani prioritised the rehabilitation of roads across the district in utilising the devolution funds.

The local authority, which has a road network of about 600km has rehabilitated 150km. 

Most of the roads in the district were destroyed by Cyclone Idai last year and Government has availed funds for the repair of the major roads and bridges. 

The council has in turn been focusing on the feeder roads that link the rest of the districts to the service centres, clinics, schools and the communities.

Mr Deure said a good road network would help attract business into the district.

“This year we have done at least 150km of road maintenance on the 600km road network we have,” he said. 

“We also have a plan to do resurfacing and tarring of our rural service centres including Wengezi, Nedziwa and Chimanimani to make our district more marketable for investors to get value for their money.”

Mr Deure said road maintenance was a long process and some of the outstanding works would be completed after council received more funding from Government.

Besides the roads and clinics, Mr Deure said part of the funds had been utilised to recapitalise the RDC and increase its capacity to respond to the needs of the people.

 Council purchased a tipper, a front-end loader, which will be delivered soon and a project vehicle meant to enable engineers to move around the mountainous terrain of Chimanimani.

For 2021, Chimanimani was allocated $194 million under devolution and part of the funds will be channelled towards completion of all outstanding projects.