Zimpapers Logo

Conrad Mupesa 

Mashonaland West Bureau 

NYAMATANDA villagers in Makonde’s Ward 8, who have been walking for long distances to access potable water, got an early Christmas present from Zimbabwe’s diversified media house, Zimpapers (1980) Limited. 

Zimpapers, in partnership with Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) previously known as DDF and the Central Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED), drilled a borehole in the area.

This has cut the distance that villagers walked while also providing clean drinking water.

While Zimpapers and its partners had wanted to have a solarised borehole in line with President Mnangagwa’s call for potable water accessibility, the community, opted for a manual system citing fears of breakdowns.

Zimpapers has also introduced a nutrition garden and fruit tree plantations near the borehole to support the community’s nutrition and livelihoods.

For Ms Nosta Makalomo, the new borehole is a life-saver.

“We were relying on a solarised borehole from Nyamatanda Clinic where almost everyone has been getting water. Some villagers used to travel at least 25km to access water from the centre. 

“During winter seasons and cloudy days, fewer people could access the precious liquid and this is the reason why as a community, we opted for a bush-pump,” she said. 

Ms Hlekiwe Ndlovu, who endured the painful years of sharing unprotected water sources with animals, praised Zimpapers. 

“We are grateful to Zimpapers for the gesture and responding to our call brought to them by our Member of Parliament (Cde Kindness Paradza),” she said. 

Other villagers said the borehole will save them from waterborne diseases.

Commissioning the project on Monday, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring the Implementation of Government Programmes, Dr Joram Gumbo, who was represented by RIDA director general, Mr Christopher Shumba, said the Government was committed to providing clean water to people.

“Our President wants all to have a good life and access to clean water. As a Government, we work closely with pro-developmental media organisations like Zimpapers that ensure that we push the development agenda ahead,” said Dr Gumbo. 

“Zimpapers has partnered with the Government’s RIDA, CMED and MP to ensure that this community has safe water accessible from a possible shortest distance. 

“We want to thank the media organisation for rising to the occasion to help Government achieve National Development Strategy 1 (NDS-1) and Vision 2030,” he said. 

Zimpapers’ comes as the Government plans to drill 35 000 boreholes by 2025 in each village. 

The Government, RIDA, will rehabilitate 4 500 boreholes next year, on top of drilling 200 new ones. 

Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka challenged village heads to communicate with local authorities regarding areas that require intervention for development to take place. 

She said the Presidential borehole drilling rig is now in providing service in Kariba district after successfully rolling out the programme in Hurungwe district. 

In his remarks, Cde Paradza, who is also the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, said people in the ward do not have adequate amenities since they were resettled starting in the year 2000 during the agrarian reform programme.

“This area used to be for cattle ranching and as Government we had to drill from scratch. The ward is heavily populated and needs more boreholes to service the people,” he said.

He thanked Zimpapers for donating the borehole to the Nyamatanda community. 

Zimpapers Group was represented at the event public relations manager, Mrs Pauline Matanda. 

The gesture by Zimpapers is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programmes aimed at improving the lives of people. 

Apart from the borehole, Zimpapers has also invested in education infrastructure in Manicaland.