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Vincent Gono, Features Editor
THE country is six months away from a national election that will be harmonised. It is therefore imperative that people — the electorate — be informed of the developments or lack thereof in different constituencies that we will reach out to.
From this week through this column Sunday News seeks to lay bare the life changing achievements that the incumbent National Assembly members have done in their constituencies since they assumed office in the 2013 harmonised elections. Through the column the Sunday News team will not have any sacred cows and it will speak directly to the electorate who are the judges on the ground as when MPs sought their votes they made promises to them.
Sunday News announces beforehand that it is not bidding for any politician. We start this week with Insiza South constituency whose National Assembly member is Cde Malachi Nkomo who wrestled the constituency from the firm grip of MDC-N’s Siyabonga Malandu Ncube who is now late.
Insiza South, commonly known as koGodlwayo has 11 wards. Prior to being an MP Nkomo was a known radio personality with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation where he was working for Radio Zimbabwe, formerly Radio 2.
His fame rose during the years he was working for the radio station and as a celebrity in the country and in his community he did not waste time but capitalised on that and threw his hat into the country’s political fray and was in 2013 elected to represent Insiza South in Matabeleland South Province.
He is the current Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial secretary for information and publicity.
And like so many other constituencies in rural Zimbabwe, Insiza is not divorced from the troubles that many rural communities face. The state of roads, bridges, clinics, schools, dip tanks, levels of poverty and issues to do with food security as well as community sustaining development projects are usually used as a yard stick to measure the MP’s worth in the community.
For even if that does not form the primary basis of their mandate, tradition has it that they should voice the concern of the communities they represent and facilitate development. In other words the legislators are messengers and not masters of the people, for it is the power of the people through the ballot that can make or break them.
On Thursday a Sunday News crew visited Insiza South where people gave mixed feelings, some saying they were happy with the way things were going while some felt there was still room for improvement.
Chief Vezi Maduna in an interview said the current crop MPs in the province needed to work hard to be compared to the old guard, the likes of Sydney Malunga, Welshman Mabhena and Simon Khaya Moyo.
“ Yes, they are trying but they can never be compared to the old guys such as Malunga, Mabhena and Khaya Moyo. Those were real movers. They had a lot of influence and we expect the same fire power from the crop of leaders we have now. We have heard there is Command Livestock and our communities are willing to partake in the initiative but there is scarce information on how to go about it. In terms of food security, the communities are being assisted by NGOs such as Orap, World Vision while some are aided by Social Welfare, although there has been Government assistance from time to time,” said Chief Maduna.
A villager who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation said Cde Nkomo had been good in promises but was yet to meet some of them.
“There are many developmental projects that he promised. We are members of Zanu-PF but we agree that he is yet to meet some of the promises he made. In some instances people have to seek assistance from a local businessman who has done a lot in terms of giving people resources, be it at schools, clinics and dip tanks,” said the man.
However, Ward 9 Councillor Reason Msipha said he felt the current MP was doing far much better than the previous one (MDC’s Malandu Ncube) as there were notable development plans laid that were waiting to kick off once resources are made available.
“He is a rural man who is not divorced from the problems that the communities face. He lives with the people and as far as development is concerned we are working with him to re-roof the community hall in Ward 9. We want to remove the thatch and put iron sheets. We are also drilling a borehole in the same ward where a primary school has been pegged. All the necessary paperwork has been done. Plans are also afoot to construct a small dam where the MP is working with Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa). The cement is already in Filabusi. I believe he has been trying although lack of resources has been the major drawback,” said Clr Msipha.
Cde Nkomo, however, said he had a programme in each of the wards that fall under his constituency. He said there were no resources but now that all the processes required by Parliament to access the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) have been met, each and every ward was going to see improvements being made.
“I understand I am in politics and I cannot please everyone. There are cadres in the party who are going about bribing people to tarnish my name. It is known that we were operating under a difficult political and economic environment where there was a lot of labelling where we were given factions and threatened with expulsion.
“Resources were not readily available so I am starting to move in and renovate and fence the community hall in Ward 1 while Ward 2 will see attention being given to Filabusi B Primary School that needs a facelift in the form of school painting. Mbondo Clinic in Ward 4 is going to have a waiting mothers’ shelter constructed while Mleja Secondary School is going to benefit too. In Ward 5 we are going to paint Saphila Clinic and buy a laptop for Sabhabha Primary school,” he said.
He added that Zhombili Primary school in Ward 8 was going to be painted while work was already in progress in renovating a community hall in Ward 9 and tubing Singwambizi Clinic in Ward 7.
He told the Sunday News that a lot of repairs needed to be done in his constituency as part of reconstruction after the rains damaged a lot of infrastructure. Most areas in his constituency have become impassable while some have been completely cut and isolated from the rest of the constituency by bad roads. He said the estimated cost of the bridges and dams that have been damaged in his constituency runs into millions of dollars although some of the dams and bridges have since been repaired.
“Dams such as Croft, Ndube, Mkhaya and Mavukuboya have varying degrees of damage caused by the rains while bridges were badly affected too but we have been working with the communities to repair some of the infrastructure,” he said.
Cde Nkomo said due to the damages on Kalani Bridge, the distance from Mbondweni to Filabusi Centre that should be 15km was now 100 km as travellers were using a longer route, while day pupils from Ekusileni Mission, a Catholic boarding school were finding it difficult to cross to school as the canoe that they were using was swept away in Silalatshani Dam.
“The situation that we are faced with in as far as infrastructure is concerned is one that is not very pleasing. Most of our infrastructure was swept away by the rains and the villagers are suffering. School children were affected too and Government should move with speed to assist in such areas where basic rural life support infrastructure has been damaged. The rural life is supported by such things as cattle, gardening, and so many other things that require water and when the sources of water are no longer there then it spells disaster.
“Movement from one area to the other is also grossly curtailed because the bridges were swept away. There is a need therefore to inform the Government that it’s not only the bridges and dams that service towns and cities but the rural communities too so that they are given equal focus in resource allocation.
Ward 4 Councillor Lawrance Maphosa said he was optimistic that since resources were beginning to be availed, a lot of groundwork will be covered.
“His first few years were not eventful, he was too cautious. Maybe he was still finding his footing but I think he has found the winning formula now. He is moving and I will not hesitate to recommend him another chance. Things were not right politically making it difficult for politicians to work. There were factional fighting and political mudslinging. People were paying villagers to say all sorts of things but with the kind of work he is doing I think he can develop the constituency further,” said Clr Maphosa.
derick.khumalo