Chronicle Editor
Michell Zvanyanya, Chronicle Reporter
Government has said it is committed to complete the construction of houses for Tsholotsho flood victims who were relocated to Tshino village three years ago.
Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister Cde Marian Chombo made the remarks at Tshino Village in Tsholotsho yesterday while assessing progress made in the construction of 319 homesteads for those who were affected by the floods in 2017.
In an interview on the sidelines of the tour, Cde Chombo expressed concern over the delay in completing the houses, saying there is still a backlog of 61 houses.
She said it is now Government’s priority to ensure that the houses to be allocated to families relocated from Sipepa village are completed on time.
“I am not happy with the living conditions that I have found you in. You were affected by floods a long time ago but till date the construction of houses has not yet been completed. We now have a backlog of about 61 houses that still need to be completed to ensure that the rest of the victims get decent accommodation and also the roofing of some of the toilets is still underway. Adding to the challenge, nine houses were also affected by a storm in October last year. Seeing this situation, I want to assure you that I will make it a priority as I go back to the office to see how best we can make sure that we bring the Tsholotsho saga to completion,” she said.
Cde Chombo said some resources for the construction project were last year diverted to assist Cyclone Idai victims contributing to the delay.
She urged the flood victims to have faith in Government as it will fulfil its promises regardless of the economic situation. Cde Chombo said the victims are also facing critical water challenges as some of the drilled boreholes are no longer functioning thereby contributing to their poor living conditions.
“I have noticed that you are also facing water challenges so we have already engaged the District Development Fund (DDF) to come and make sure that the boreholes that are no longer functioning are up and running. I also want to urge you to try and make peace with the Tshilo villagers whom you found in this area so that you can live together in harmony because I am aware that there is a challenge of co-existence between the two groups,” she said. – @michellzvanyanyan2.
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