Beitbridge West: Who is Cde Thusani Ndou?

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

CDE Thusani Ndou is the Zanu-PF candidate for Beitbridge West in the forthcoming elections.

He was born in Shashe, Ward 8, Beitbridge District on 22 February 1967. Cde Ndou went to Shashe Primary School for his primary education before proceeding to Manama High School from where he went to the United College of Education (UCE) in Bulawayo where he graduated with a Diploma in Education in 1994 and later on got deployed as a teacher.

He then decided to further his education and enrolled for a Degree in Public Administration with the Reformed Church University. Besides having 29 years experience as a teacher, he invested in various other short courses such as English Language, Computer Science, Entrepreneurship and Counselling.

Cde Ndou is a businessman and is the current chairperson of the Beitbridge (livestock) Commercial Farmers’ Association. He started being politically involved at a very young age, but could not train as a soldier because he was young. He was conscripted into party politics and spent time in Botswana as a ZAPU youth.

Cde Ndou grew up in the ranks of the party rising to the level of commissar in Ward 8, Shashe after the Zanu PF- ZAPU Unity Accord in 1987. He held commissariat, transport and security positions in the Youth League of ZAPU in Beitbridge District.

Having won the just ended Zanu-PF primary elections, Cde Ndou has a lot under his sleeve for the Beitbridge West community. He plans to facilitate the construction of more infant schools, health care facilities, road maintenance, irrigation development, installation of more mobile network equipment, radio and TV reception transmitters and base stations.

These, he said, were very critical services in the constituency. Transport, mobile network and radio and TV reception transmitters are important in enhancing communication and as vehicles of Government development projects.

Much of the district being drought prone, the establishment of irrigation schemes will go a long way in enhancing food security and improve the communities’ nutritional levels. He said he will also facilitate the establishment of community gardens, promotion of water harvesting methods across the constituency and push for the upgrading of business centres into growth points.

Cde Ndou is also going to work to improve housing development under the BBRDC and town council areas, facilitate the unbundling of key Government services to the ward level as well as introduction of farmer learning centres at ward level.

The district being a cattle area and him having an interest in livestock he will push for the construction of more dip tanks in areas with deficiencies, promote rural electrification programmes, the use of solar and biogas as alternative energy, push for opening of constituency offices to increase access of communities to parliament activities, and to strengthen the engagement among Government agencies, development stakeholders, the ruling party and the communities so that no-one and no place is left behind.

He said he will work to ensure the vision of President Mnangagwa of an upper middle-income economy by 2030 is realised in the communities through engaging them in all development facets.