admin
They say although he is popular; he has not brought any meaningful development to the area.
The constituency, which comprises Manjola, Sikalenge, Kaani, Sinakoma, Sinansengwe, Sinampande, Nabusenga, Sinamatelele, Chunga, Siachilaba and Lubu areas, remains largely underdeveloped with more huts made of mud, bricks and poles than proper infrastructure.
Constituents that stay far from the Zambezi River live in abject poverty, as they do not have stable means of earning an income. Some such constituents have resorted to selling chickens, wild fruits and wood ornaments in order to make money.
On the other side of the constituency is Binga Centre, which includes a number of Government offices, a post office, a medical facility, lodges and supermarkets. Traders selling fish and clothes could also be spotted at this end.
The electorate living on this side of the constituency is better off as they have a variety of ways to earn a living since they are near the great river and a larger market.
Annexe schools have sprouted in a significant number of areas although constituents say these schools have remained undeveloped, much to the disadvantage of their children.
Mr Peter Mundike (55) from Chikuyu Village said the MP and the councillors had not played their role in the constituency.
“Aside from the MP, our councillors also do not know our problems. We are even afraid to say what bothers us. We know the MP very well but knowing him has not changed anything.
“There have not been any developments here. Our children have to walk about five kilometres to Binga Primary School and we walk the same distance to the hospital.
“The food situation is bad this time around. We could be fishing and selling the fish for money but unfortunately we do not have fishing nets. The nets that we had been using were torn by crocodiles and are now useless. Buying food is a real challenge.
“We do not have a water crisis because we drink straight from the Zambezi River. That is also where we get water for domestic purposes. The water is quite clean although. We boil it first before drinking,” he said.
Mr Mundike said he no longer had faith in his leaders because constituents always lodged their complaints and were constantly asked what bothered them but nothing had ever been done to solve their problems.
“I don’t know what happens. We make our problems known but nothing ever changes. They look down upon us. Another problem is that our MPs are selfish, they forget about us and think about themselves only,” he said.
Ms Elizabeth Mwimole (32) from Chunga Village said the problem was that women are never consulted when it comes to anything concerning development.
“Maybe if they asked for our opinions things would be much better. As a woman, you just sit at the back, listen and do whatever has been decided on. If our leaders took us more seriously, we could be making some valuable contributions that could develop our area.
“As it is, we live in these houses made of mud and poles when people in other areas live in properly built houses.
“Co-operatives that would generate money would be very welcome so that women can also contribute to the development of the area,” she said.
The pint-sized Ms Mwimole said children living with disabilities had been ignored for too long.
“These children are failing to go to school because there are no schools for them here yet they also need to be educated.
“My daughter is physically challenged and because of this she cannot go to school. Primarily because the school is too far, the road to the school is inaccessible and she is not able to cross rivers during the rainy season.
“Maybe a boarding school might be the most ideal so that these children do not have to travel to school. The Government should try and find means of developing such a school here,” she said.
Most parts of Binga North constituency are very remote. There is hardly anything to look at. There are no roads to talk about and the clay soil in most areas is a nightmare, especially during the wet season.
Mrs Tiofe Ngwenya (48) from Siachilaba said the poverty they were subjected to had become normal to them.
She said they had stopped complaining about what they did not have because Binga is a dry place that would probably not yield anything for them agriculturally.
Mrs Ngwenya said although the climatic conditions in the area did not permit them to practise crop farming, other means of survival should be established in the area.
She said the youth were the most affected as they did not have anything to do after leaving school.
“You find that there are a lot of young people doing nothing. The education system and our financial predicament in the rural areas are failing them.
“You find that some of them do not even do their Ordinary Level. They learn whatever they learn, leave school and just sit around at home after that. They need income-generating projects or even vocational training centres from which they can learn practical skills,” said Mrs Ngwenya.
She said there was no vocational training centre in Binga yet it would go a long way in equipping the youth with skills that would enable them to earn a living.
“We do not want these young people to just sit around. They need to be taught skills that would help them fend for themselves,” said Mrs Ngwenya.
Mr Eugene Mungombe (68) form Bunsiwa Village bemoaned the state of annexe schools in the constituency. He said these schools were unfit for children and did not benefit them much.
“We need proper schools in the area otherwise we compromise the quality of education these children receive,” he said.
Mr Mungombe said there had not been any visible development in the area.
“The only thing that has been introduced is these annexe schools and they have now become a burden. I know the MP and he passes here often but l am not seeing what he is doing.
“We also struggle to get water because the borehole is very far away. We need more boreholes to be drilled so that we do not have to walk long distances to fetch water,” he said.
Mr Mungombe said constituents needed all the help they could get so that they could develop themselves and their area as well.
“Binga is not growing at all,” he said.
Councillor Maxon Mudimba of Lubu Ward said development was very minimal and the only project in his ward was that of nutritional gardens.
He said six boreholes had also been drilled in the ward by a non-governmental organisation operating in the area.
“There has been a slight improvement in the ward and the constituency in general. After the boreholes were drilled at some schools, nutrition gardens and at the dip tank, people have not had to struggle for water as much.
“The only other development that also benefits constituents in Binga North has been the construction of the main road,” said Clr Mudimba.
He said the reason why development had been minimal was because the Government had no money.
“We have two annexe schools in the ward, a primary and a secondary school. These schools have a classroom block each; there have no furniture, no teachers’ houses and no roofs yet these schools are about four years old. On top of that, these schools do not have qualified teachers,” said Clr Mudimba.
He said under the leadership of Mr Sibanda, the constituency has remained stagnant in terms of development.
“My ward is among other wards that did not benefit from the Constituency Development Fund. We had agreed to spread the money evenly since it was little but the MP decided to do what he wanted thereby leaving other wards with no project at all,” said Clr Mudimba.
He said they met with Mr Sibanda often but they were making very little progress.
“We are also facing water shortage in our area. We now have to share our water with our cattle,” said Clr Mudimba.
Turning to the education of children in the area, Clr Mudimba said some of them had stopped going to school because they were no longer receiving money under the Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam).
“Some children stopped going to school at a tender age because they were no longer getting money from Beam.
“We do not know why the money stopped coming but it is really needed so that these children can go back to school,” he said.
Online Reporter