admin
Betty Nhambu is one of the candidates who will be participating in the Kuwadzana constituency by-elections set for 10 June. The Sunday Mail Extra caught up with the aspiring youthful legislator to hear what she has in store for her constituency if elected into the August House.
Q: Who is Betty Nhambu and can you briefly outline your political career?
A: Betty Nhambu is a 31-year-old mother of three married to Zimbabwe Tourism Association (ZTA) chief executive Karikoga Kaseke and is also an entrepreneur. I started active politics at Zanu PF district level from 2001 to 2005 when I was still staying in Glen View and when I moved here to Kuwadzana. I also got into the party structures after I got elected into various political positions.
But I must say, I have been getting a lot of support to mature politically from my husband, Karikoga Kaseke, who is also a war veteran.
Q: Why Kuwadzana Constituency?
A: I realised that this constituency needs a personality which is well versed in the happenings and operations which obtains here, a thing which has been missing for all the time the MDC-T has been at the helm of this (Kuwadzana) parliamentary seat.
This constituency needs a person who has a grasp of the people’s needs and has the people at heart, not the likes of the previous legislator, who did not even know any street in her constituency, and only came here for the elections before returning to Gweru, which is believed to be her area of residence. This seat needs someone with a deep knowledge and history of this area.
Being an MP does not necessarily mean that you have to be pumping out your own cash every time, there are some things which the MP just need to facilitate, to maintain the smooth flow of things for the residents, but that will be difficult, if you are not a resident in the area to monitor public and social amenities such as tower lights, roads. In brief, I would say, this constituency needs someone who is resident here.
Q: Kuwadzana is a very important seat in the political landscape of the country, in the context that it is the face of development, which put into perspective issues of infrastructural development, under the obtaining harsh economic climate. Are you not intimidated to be contesting for such a seat?
A: No, not at all, people just want to be helped to keep things moving. I know what the people specifically need, that is why we are undertaking projects which are youths and women inclined and also projects for the less fortunate in this constituency, so basically, I have nothing to fear as all these things just needs a person who can facilitate, who can make things happen.
We will also ensure that the homeless have access to the relevant offices so that accommodation problems are adequately addressed. There is also another issue of home industries, which is one of the economic life lines of this constituency, people need to be helped to identify their strengths and weaknesses in their chosen trades and also where they can undertake their economic initiatives without interfering with the environment and council by-laws. So, my duty as the legislator here will be to facilitate development projects in this constituency.
Q: Cde Nhambu, if you are elected, you will be one of the young legislators in the August House, what’s your promise to the constituency if elected?
A: We have places like Tynwald here, which have been underdeveloped for quite sometime. When we talk of development, we mean that there are no schools in that area, there are private schools, which are out of reach of the general populace as they are very expensive. There is also the issue of infrastructure, things like markets, clinics, they are not there.
Also to the youths, the issue of unemployment is a major scourge countrywide and I wish to capitalise and capacitate the home industry initiative for this constituency. I will try by all means to source funding for several of these projects, since most of the youths do not have any form of capital.
Also to the women, they have started several projects, which do not need so much funding, and we are going to help them achieve their dreams.
Q: Cde, come 10 June, what’s your prediction of the outcome?
A: Definitely, we are bagging the seat, I can assure the President (Mugabe), that we are taking back the seat. I am saying so because former members of the opposition party MDC-T are coming back to us because of the economic projects we are undertaking. Despite narrowly losing in 2013, we kept on working for the development of the constituency and to date we have managed to install 19 boreholes and we have just commissioned the other one in Kuwadzana Phase and we also drilling another one at Speed and so many other developmental projects taking place. So basically, we are ready to pop the champagne bottles, so that we can continue with our action plan of developing this constituency.
Online Reporter