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Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
MANY people shun living in rural areas as they prefer the bright lights of the city.
Chivi Rural District Council chairperson Killer Zivhu has refused to join the bandwagon, choosing to invest in his rural home.
He wants to be close to his kith and kin hence he stays in the rural areas.
Zivhu, 40, has not only built a beautiful homestead which some might say is too good for a rural setup or even a growth point, but has ventured into farming with the aim of addressing food security challenges facing his community.
Situated about 5km from Ngundu Growth Point, the homestead is not only an expression of good workmanship but a piece of architectural beauty. The homestead has four houses with flat roofs and to retain the African flair; there are three thatched huts.
The centrepiece is a five bed-roomed mansion.
But what is striking at the homestead is not the house or the good car parked in the yard, it is the farming activities taking place around the homestead, which have to a larger extent made Zivhu the darling of the community he lives in.
The farming activities are meant to benefit members of the community as a whole and not just Zivhu’s sister and grandparents.
About 19 families are already benefiting from employment created by the endeavour and plans are underway to increase the number to 100 families.
One of the beneficiaries of the project, who is also a farm worker, Tawanda Pedzisai, 46, from the same village said he was happy to be employed.
“I’m happy to be one of the beneficiaries of the Councillor’s projects. I’m married and my five children were no longer attending school because I couldn’t afford their fees. My children are now back in school because I’m now able to pay their fees,” said Pedzisai.
He said he had been working for Zivhu for some time now and hoped the councillor would at some point help him start his own project.
Mercy Manonoke, 43, another beneficiary of the project was grateful to Zivhu for his philanthropic gesture.
“Our council chair has undertaken a number of projects meant to benefit the community and I’m taking this employment as training so that when I leave I’ll use the skills to do similar projects,” said Manonoke.
Another villager, Taurai Manonoke, 56, heaped praises on Zivhu saying the whole district was indebted to him as he had positively changed the lives of many people.
“Zivhu has transformed many people’s lives. His charity work speaks for itself. He has built homesteads for the elderly and less privileged families in the district through his company, Zimbabwe Amalgamated Housing Association (ZAHA). He has also flown a number of cancer and kidney patients to India for treatment. Many people in Chivi district look up to him in times of need,” said Manonoke.
The brains behind Chivi Development Trust, Zivhu, said rural development should not be the government’s responsibility alone but people should learn to develop their places.
“I’ve been through many challenges in life and derive motivation from a humble background. I grew up in the rural areas, going to school barefooted and sometimes would be sent home after my grandparents failed to pay fees. It’s this background that taught me to develop my area and build a beautiful homestead for the grandparents who toiled for my welfare when I was young. I live with my grandparents up to now,” said Zivhu.
The homestead has borehole water that is pumped into five tanks with a capacity of 5,000 litres each.
Zivhu is working on a massive project that will accommodate about 200 families who will have the opportunity to practise market gardening and fishery.
“I’ve seven hectares at my disposal which I want to use for market gardening. My aim is to help the less privileged members of the society by recruiting families to come and work here,” he said.
Zivhu said the families would be taught different skills by extension workers who will provide basic farming knowledge before they take on their own projects.
“The less-privileged families, some of whom have already been identified, will work here. The field will act as a training school which will provide hands-on training. The major aim is for the project to help all underprivileged families from my ward so that they can in the near future be able to earn a decent living and send their children to school,” said Zivhu.
The ZAHA director has also made donations to the police, built classroom blocks, funded electrification of schools and clinics.
Despite owning a couple of houses in Harare, Zivhu said he preferred living in the rural areas so that he could be in constant touch with the people who elected him into office. “I’ve chosen to live with the people who have elected me into office rather than living in Harare, or anywhere away from them. I want to always hear and appreciate their challenges,” he said.
Online Reporter