Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
GOVERNMENT has over the last three years availed $62 million in devolution funds which has helped the Beitbridge Rural District Council to build more clinics and schools.
The district has for years suffered deficiencies in the provision of adequate health care and educational facilities.
Things started changing for the better around 2019 when the New Dispensation started consistently releasing funds to boost the local authorities’ capacity to meet service delivery obligations.
So far the BBRDC has managed to build a primary school in the Novhe area, ward 10, new clinic at Dumba, ward 15 and completed other pending infrastructural development projects.
The local authority’s chief executive officer, Mr Peter Moyo, said the devolution funds had helped improve the quality of service delivery across the district.
“We used our allocation to build one primary school with the teachers’ house (at Novhe), Dumba and Tshabili Clinics, renovating Shashe clinic and other primary and secondary schools which were affected by climate related disasters,” said Mr Moyo
“We have completed the construction of two classroom blocks and a teachers’ house and an ablution block at Novhe (Ward 10) which is located some 18km northwest of Zezani growth point and 12km north of Dendele.
“The project has been a pipe dream post-independent Zimbabwe and we decided to use devolution funds to fill that gap in education facilities.”
He said the local authority also used part of the funds to complete the Tshabili clinic, which had now opened its doors to the public.
However, official opening is pending.
The official said the council was looking forward to opening the Dumba Clinic in Ward 15 later this year.
“Civil works here (at Dumba) are now 98 percent complete, the contractor is now busy with water and plumbing connections on the facility,” said Mr Moyo.
“Our idea is to have at least two clinics in every ward and at least one secondary school at each ward centre. We are very hopeful that we will achieve that feat with the support we are getting from Treasury.”
He said Novhe primary school will enrol classes from Early Childhood Development (ECD) up to grade three once the necessary registration processes were complete.
Mr Moyo said efforts were underway to build more schools and clinics in resettlement areas.
He said the rural district council had paid a deposit to acquire a vehicle to boost operations for the Engineering Services Department.
“To boost out capacity on infrastructure development, we have also used the devolution funds to procure a backhoe loader.
“We will continue to buy more earth moving equipment so that we may cut costs of outsourcing such services,” said Mr Moyo.
He said a portion of the devolution funds had been committed to sprucing up the Mazunga Clinic in ward 14 along the Beitbridge to Bulawayo Highway.
Community members from across Beitbridge said yesterday that the Second Republic was delivering on its promise to turn around the lives of people in rural areas.
“The amount of infrastructure development we are witnessing is impressive, especially on the improved access to schools and health care facilities,” said Ms Sarudzai Moyo of Tshapfuche , Ward 5.
Mr Mbongeleni Muleya from Toporo , Ward 9 said it was critical for the government to support the local authorities to improve service delivery.
He said, education and health were key to human life.
“In our system of local governance, councils get revenue through taxation and in most cases the income is just insufficient to run some of these projects. So, devolution funds are welcome and they inspire communities to also chip in with human resources,” said Mr Muleya. — @tupeyo
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