adminFortious Nhambura Constituency Watch
One of Mashonaland West’s youngest constituencies, Chakari, has set its sights at becoming Zimbabwe’s bedrock of artisanal mining. Cut off old Kadoma West and Sanyati constituencies, Chakari is also a model of development for the country. The constituency is made up of Pat Cowden Valley, Perseverance andChigaro.
It is divided into Wards 1 to 5 and then 7.
The influx of people due to the land reform has raised pressure on existing infrastructure in this part of the country.
In the past, the roads only led to farmhouses while clinics and schools were sparsely located.
The battle is to make available the necessary social infrastructure for the increasing population.
But the community is not sitting on its laurels.
A number of projects have been initiated to try and improve the standards of living.
Development is at a snail’s pace.
Mining and agriculture
The closure of Dalny Mine in 2013 (the main employer in the area) has not only slowed life in Chakari but pushed many young people into gold panning.
Nearly 900 workers were thrown on the dusty streets of the mining town and many more families into abject poverty.
In fact, when the mine closed workers had gone for three months without pay.
Increasing unreliability in rainfall patterns coupled with low producer prices has also made farming in Chakari an unattractive enterprise for youths.
Though some farmers are doing well, lack of markets remains the greatest drawback for some.
Agreed, there is need for fresh resources to be injected into the rural areas and former commercial farming areas to kick-start development.
Most of the people, who still stay in compounds, are either vendors of used clothes or prostitutes.
Ward 3 Councillor Gladys Malimbila said many young people had been forced into artisanal mining. She said until the law is amended to accommodate “chikorokoza”, such mining practices would remain illegal and dangerous.
“It’s a bit difficult to represent a people without a recognised source of livelihood. I know these young people need jobs but there is nothing in the offing in my area. The closure of Dalny Mine literally brought the small town and the constituency to a halt,” she said.
Chakari Member of the House of Assembly Cde Aldrin Musiiwa concurred, saying Dalny Mine’s closure brought a lot of challenges. The mine closed in September 2013, but the timing and the insistence on closure was suspicious as it coincided with the Zanu-PF victory.
There were also rumours that the mine had been bought by a Canadian gold mining giant Dawn Mining which also acquired Venice Mine that has since closed.
“We suspected sabotage. First, the company authorities cited the growing Zesa bill and later viability challenges.
“What is most suspicious was that the mine was left unsecured. All the equipment was left to rot in the flooded mine,” Cde Musiiwa said.
Following the Dalny Mine’s closure, Golden Valley Mine remains as the single largest employer in the constituency.
However, there are efforts to increase the participation of youths and women in mining activities to discourage them from gold panning.
Cde Musiiwa says 57 gold claims had been acquired from Falcon Gold for the youths and women but the greatest challenge remained that of equipment.
Resultantly, only a few are operational and production remains low.
“Shortages of working capital have hindered such empowerment programmes for our youths and women.
“They do not have equipment such as a generator for power, pumps and compressors needed in mining. In fact they are being forced to use rudimentary methods of mining to earn a living.
“Falcon Gold has also undertaken to give a further 400 claims for empowerment but are demanding that the few that we already have should be utilised.
“We are enthused by the promise by Government to set up gold buying centres at Patchway and Kadoma and to introduce the $100 million revolving fund for small scale miners,” he added.
Gold panning is also posing a serious threat to agriculture.
Each time a gold claim is discovered in a field, panners simply invade without regard of the farmer.
Education and sanitation
Chakari constituency has only 31 primary schools with a total of more than 13 000 pupils and four secondary schools, all owned by their Rural District Council.
There is no ‘A’ Level secondary school in the constituency.
However, that is set to change as the community is now building two new schools and upgrading several existing ones.
About 18 classroom blocks at 10 schools are at different levels of construction. Some have been roofed, others are at roof level and while a few are ready for occupation.
Council has also sprung into action. They are moving children from old farm houses and tobacco bans to appropriate learning environments.
A new school, Mopani Primary is also under construction in Ward 3 with the support of a South Korean NGO, Habido.
The school that has been operating from a farm compound will be relocated to the new premises by the end of this term. Four blocks have already been completed and await roofing.
Mopani deputy headmaster Mr Joram Matarirano said the construction of the school was a community project.
He said the Zimbabwe Defence Forces has provided engineers and the local community is chipping in with bricks and labour.
“The four blocks that you see have been built in the past three months and we hope to complete one more, an administration block and two teachers’ houses soon,” he explained.
Currently, Mopani Primary is a satellite school of Dalney Mine Primary School.
It will apply for registration as a full school when it relocates.
At Backleydale School a two-roomed classroom block has been built and roofed, while at Blackmorevale a two-roomed classroom block was at roof level awaiting roofing.
At Tashinga Vhere Secondary another two-roomed science block was under construction with the help of Cottco.
Under the WASH programme, the constituency has been offered 60 squat hole toilets for the schools.
Health and transport
The constituency had only five sub standard clinics to cater for the population but efforts are underway to improve the health facilities.
Through the office of the MP the various clinics have been provided with cement and painting for face lifting while work has just been completed at Chegutu 6 for a modern polyclinic.
“We have electrified, repaired the borehole and renovated the clinic that was built some years back but for some strange reason never opened.
“Efforts are underway to start work on the roads in the constituency as well as open new ones to service the increasing community. We are in talks with the Ministry of Transport and Communication in a bid to ensure the Patchway-Sanyati Highway is upgraded.
“We feel this is a major road and should be the responsibility of Government. The highway had been tendered as a BOT project but did not find a taker and we hope an allocation will be given soon,” he said.
Gardens of hope
Thriving gardening and poultry projects are dotted around the constituency though markets remain their greatest obstacle.
One such garden is the Tsungai garden project that has 10 members who are growing vegetables for sell in Chakari and other communities.
Tsungai project member Mrs Singatiya Tambara said: “It is our way of fending for the family. This was a former mining and farming compound but since the downturn in the economy we have been laid off and need to embark of these small projects for survival.”
Their greatest problem is a dwindling market. The town of Chakari can no longer take all the supplies.
A former farm worker, Ariel Phiri, is into poultry production and is keeping 1 000 broilers in a backyard fowl run.
“This is proof that with only a little space you can be productive and start influencing lives. This is what Zim-Asset is all about, making use of the little resources you have to start producing for the community,” said Phiri.
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