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Vincent Gono, Features Editor
FOR more than a decade Makokoba constituency in Bulawayo that had been under the stewardship of opposition House of Assembly members had known no development at all. It had been eluded by the wave of politics that has been sweeping across the country where people demanded accountability from those in public office.
Comprising some of the city’s old suburbs such as Makokoba, Mzilikazi, Nguboyenja, Thorngroove, Barbourfields and many other areas on the periphery of town, the constituency had remained in frigid isolation and a little divorced from modernity where those who have scaled up the social ladder would move out of the neighbourhood.
It was fast turning itself into a platform of political rhetoric where elections were won on empty promises with no tangible life improving initiatives leaving the constituency synonymous with poverty, squalid conditions and a life of gangsterism.
It seems politics had been laughing and cursing the people for voting into office the wrong candidates who only bought them opaque beer when approaching election time yet they remained unrepentant. And by nature of people being helter-skelter creatures, they continued retuning to the same poisoned feeding troughs where nothing meaningful in terms of real development was provided. They proved to have learned nothing from previous experiences where politics brought honour, glory, long cars, nice houses and beautiful ladies to individuals they would have voted to represent their interests yet their lives remained painfully and pitifully the same or is it that they just forgot everything.
Like any other constituency in Bulawayo and many other urban centres, Makokoba was not so much of serious tug-of-war between the ruling Zanu-PF and the main opposition MDC-T. Its script had always been boldly opposition no matter who the person was. But due to conspiring factors on the political front it was finally bagged in 2015 by Zanu-PF’s Retired Colonel Tshinga Judge Dube, courtesy of a by-election which the MDC-T boycotted.
Cde Dube is no novice in politics. In national politics, he is known for his fearlessness and exceptional inability to censor himself and has often said things that are regarded taboo in his party. He has been around and is one politician with an apt description of a never say never spirit.
Having lost elections in the same constituency a couple of times enough to see him throw in the towel, his never dying spirit and his love for the people of Makokoba constituency would not allow him to do so. And when MDC-T’s Mr Gorden Moyo who had won the seat in the 2013 harmonised election was recalled from Parliament after the party had split for the umpteenth time, Cde Dube saw no hurdle in reclaiming his lost political glory and hoisting the Zanu-PF’s unity, peace and development flag in Bulawayo which had long been forgotten.
Cde Dube is credited with so many developments in the constituency. He is the man who brought the late US musical icon Michael Jackson to Zimbabwe. He also brought South African musicians Freddy Gwala and Platform One to perform for free in Bulawayo.
He is as patient as a hyena and has amazing levels of hope. His philanthropic work even outside politics is well documented. Even in times when he lost elections he refused to be bitter. He remained working hard on the ground for the people, something that is generally not common in cutting throat politics where sabotage has become the opposing political word.
He has proved to be an essential component of the prescription that the doctor ordered in terms of development if what the people in his constituency have been saying is anything to go by.
“We are blessed to have him as our representative. He is not one to amass wealth for himself but is a real father figure who wants to see things done fairly and everyone to benefit. This constituency had not known development in the past decade or so it had been under MDC-T. At times we would even forget who the MP was. They were only seen when we were nearing election and they would buy beer for the youths while the elderly which are an important component of the constituency were not taken care of.
“But with the coming in of Cde Dube, things have been rosy. He has been taking care of us even after he had lost and it’s now even more now that he is fully responsible. I hope the people have learnt a lesson. We should not vote for the party but for the most suitable individual who knows our challenges,” said Gogo Nobuhle Tshuma of Nguboyenja.
Gogo Tshuma’s sentiments are shared among the elderly who felt that Cde Dube was doing enough for them.
“He has provided us with blankets to keep us warm while his medical outreach programmes are there for all to see. We have received a lot of medical assistance for absolutely no charge and we often get checked by a team of expert medical doctors for various ailments, something that the previous MPs were not doing. Most of us here can hardly afford medical costs and this is actually assisting us so much. Had it not been for Tshinga (Cde Dube) a lot of old people here could have been reeling in serious health problems or could have died,” said Mr Joel Ndlovu of Makokoba.
Cde Dube is not only popular with geriatrics. He is also lauded by the youths for his penchant for promoting various sporting disciplines such as soccer and boxing which keeps them off the streets and from redundancy.
“We got balls and soccer kits from the MP and we formed ourselves into clubs. The clubs are many and we are now occupying ourselves especially with the unemployment rate in the country caused by the closure of industries.
“Those that are not into sporting activities are doing other things such as handiwork and arts where there are living out of it,” said Philip Jones of Thorngroove.
Speaking to Sunday News, Cde Dube said there was no doubt that his constituency formed an important element of what Bulawayo was given the important institutions it had politically and socially. He said being in an urban constituency, their main focus was not to develop roads and bridges but to speak out on developmental issues that present better living standards for people in their constituency. Cde Dube expressed optimism that the current political dispensation was going to succeed in turning around the fortunes of the economy for the betterment of the generality of the people as industries were being revived.
“We have Stanley Square, Mpilo Hospital, Barbourfields Stadium, Amakhosi Arts Centre, Jairos Jiri Centre and so many other important institutions including children and old people’s homes. We are therefore complementing these institutions through developing skills that are in line with what we have in the constituency.
“Our economy has been in the doldrums and our youths have not been getting employed so we initiated various self help projects that fit into SMEs.
We have given more than 60 soccer balls to various clubs in the constituency for our youths while we are also empowering women through training programmes. We teach them simple income generating projects such as drying vegetables that have a ready market in such countries as Botswana. I am happy to announce that we have so far reached over 3 000 people in our health expo programmes where we assist people in getting medical assistance from local and international doctors where at one time we had 14 voluntary doctors,” he said.
In the area of education he said they donated 30 tonnes of textbooks to virtually all schools in the constituency while the $40 000 out of
$50 000 Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation they got was being used to spruce up infrastructure in identified schools and other public institutions.
He said a committee had been set and priority areas have been identified. Cde Dube added that his constituency was home to popular football stars such as the Ndlovu brothers Peter, Madinda and Adam and musicians such as Beater Mangete, Cool Crooners and many others while boxer Charles Manyuchi once stayed there before moving to Harare and that explains his passion in continuously developing those disciplines and not let the tag be taken off.
Although he wouldn’t say much about the Makokoba Redevelopment Project whose objective is to bring modernity to Makokoba and the Egodini project, he warned against political bias and imported labour in the envisaged employment opportunities that would be presented by the two projects.
He said although politics and economy were interwoven it was time to concentrate on fixing both so that the country does not limb, adding that those people from within Zanu-PF bent on destabilising the ship should not be given a chance as the country prepares for elections. He urged people to vote wisely saying if he had no chance of winning he was not going to stand.
Online Reporter