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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Zanu-PF National Assembly candidate for Beitbridge West constituency Cde Ruth Maboyi has said tourism, education and health care facilities will be her priority if elected.

She said the area had great potential to develop into a tourism hub in the country.

In an interview yesterday, Cde Maboyi said Beitbridge West was home to Fort Tuli, the entry point of the pioneer column into the country, the Maramani communal lands and the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA) made up of parks from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

She said the area was also rich in cultural history, including artefacts and Bushmen paintings from the early Stone Age and the dinosaur fossils around the Sentinel Area.

“Beitbridge has lots of potential to develop in terms of tourism,” she said. “This is one of the key priority areas I will need to work on to create employment for the locals and at the same time avail investment opportunities in that sector.

“You will also note that we still have a shortage of primary health care facilities and schools. We need to engage development partners to address such inadequacies. For instance, the ideal situation will be to have at least a clinic per ward, more poly clinics and one referral hospital to serve the constituency.

“In addition, there is a need to lure luminaries from this area to take up opportunities in infrastructure, water and sanitation development.”

Cde Maboyi said it was critical for political leaders to respect traditional leaders and the people they served to steer meaningful development.

She said stakeholders’ consultation initiatives accompanied with a servant type of leadership skills was one of her strengths over her opponents.

Cde Maboyi said she had started engaging mobile telephone service providers and the Rural Electrification Fund to increase the network coverage in Beitbridge West.

“There are four men from different parties who are also running for the parliamentary seat, but I am not bothered because I have stronger grassroots support,” she said.

Cde Maboyi, who is the only woman in the race for Beitbridge West, will square off against Messrs Moffat Ndou (PRC), Ronald Ndlovu (FreeZim Congress), Brighton Ithutheng Sibanda (MRP) and Enock Singo (MDC-Alliance).

“I am also happy with the current environment and we have been having interfaces with the other candidates on the need to observe peace as we go about our campaigns,” said Cde Maboyi.