19-year dream comes true for Insiza school

Nothando Zondo, Sunday News Reporter
THE construction of Knocknara Primary School in Killarney, Ward 22 of Insiza District, Matabeleland South Province has finally started after 19 years of its establishment and that has been attributed to support from the Government and various partners.

Knocknara Primary School was established in 2005 and served as a satellite school of Tombo Primary School since then. The school was established to reduce the distance that learners in the area were travelling to Tombo Primary School.

Previously, learners had to travel between 14 to 20 kilometres to attend school.
The Government and generous supporters have contributed to the commencement of the school’s construction since the beginning of the year.

In an interview with Sunday News, the school headmaster, Mr Herbert Mpofu gave an insight into how the construction is going.

“Since its establishment, the school has been operating at a farm house. A site for the school was designated by the Department of Physical Planning, however, construction could not commence because the parents were not affording the special levy required to purchase cement, which is the most expensive component of the construction process,” he said.

He said early this year they received donations from Insiza North Member of Parliament (MP), Farai Taruvinga, followed by Mr Simon Bowman and Kavango Resources, which were used to facilitate the commencement of the construction.

Mr Mpofu said the legislator, Cde Taruvinga donated 50 bags of cement, which were used to construct six squat-hole blair toilets.

“Following this, a miner from Knocknara Farm, Mr Bowman contributed 100 bags of cement that were used for moulding the bricks needed to set the foundation of the school.

“We also contacted the Human Resources (HR) department of Kavango Resources, an exploration company targeting world-class base and precious metal discoveries in Zimbabwe and Botswana, to request for a solar-powered borehole from its directors,” he added.

“While the request was being processed, the Government intervened in July and installed the solarised borehole through the Village Business Unit Scheme. Consequently, Kavango Resources shifted its focus to providing 200 bags of cement.”

He said the Village Business Unit Scheme was a programme being rolled out by the Government to enhance drought resilience and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Mr Mpofu said the borehole has significantly aided the construction efforts at the school through provision of water.

“On July 11, 2024, Kavango Resources donated 200 bags of cement, which will be used to mould bricks, while the remainder will contribute to the construction of a classroom block. This donation is timely and meets our needs effectively.”

The School Development Committee (SDC) member who preferred to remain anonymous expressed her joy over the developments taking place at the school site.

“It has taken us quite a long time to build on our new site. Each step forward is bringing happiness and hope to us,” said the SDC member.

The community has taken an active role in the construction by providing labour for the moulding of bricks and bringing locally available building materials like pit sand, quarry and river sand.

Speaking on behalf of the community, Mr Noel Chirwa expressed his gratitude to all the parties that made donations it possible to commence the construction process.

“The community of Killarney, Ward 22 is grateful for the assistance rendered, we could not have done it alone,” he said.