Of economic life and rural areas

centres becomes a major subject of my concern. Whether travelling to Gutu or this time to Mudzi District near the border with Mozambique, my interest is to see whether the rural folk are happy with their way of life.
There is no denying the fact that the main roads out of Harare are the best roads in the country. The roads around Harare suburbs and city centre are terrible. It is terrifying to drive into Harare from the rural areas where the main roads are meant for the high performance cars not pushcarts or ox drawn carts.
The perfect roads give a wrong picture as to the economic life of the rural areas. Mudzi District centre was built after independence and has modern buildings with a tarred road, a good district hospital but without a resident doctor although there is excellent accommodation for hospital staff.
Why is there no doctor at this district hospital? The local church pastor says the doctor left to further his studies but there has not been a replacement. There cannot be any economic life without the health of the people being catered for. Only mission hospitals away from the area have resident doctors.
The district has excellent conference facilities which include the Pumpkin Hotel and the District Centre. Many workshops and seminars have been held but there are no tangible economic activities that have emanated from these endless meetings.
I visited the suburbs where houses are being built but was told that some of the building materials and the builders themselves are not local but imported all the way from Harare. Except for bricks, the roofing materials come from Harare. With the excellent state of the roads, the transporters from Harare are happy to use such good roads.
What other economic activity was evident? Yes, the roads were lined up with mainly women selling mazhanje, tomatoes, mangoes etc. But what was missing were small enterprises like hair salons, shoe repair or carpentry shops. Surely, district centres should get priority for such simple shops to be set up by the Ministry of Small Enterprises.
If economic empowerment is just preached in the city centres on radio and television, without venturing into the rural centres, then the whole exercise loses its meaning. As I drove through Mutoko, Mrewa and other centres, what was missing was a bustling economic activity. I saw many young people spending their time aimlessly with a few girls trudging and pushing wheelbarrows with sacks of maize to the grinding meals.
No wonder why Harare is so congested. The rural to urban migration has reached such a level that, in a few years, only the elderly will be residing in the rural areas. Cabbages sold in Gutu, I was told that they came from Harare. At least, Mudzi, Mtoko, Mrewa, Goromonzi districts are self sufficient in vegetables. These areas actually feed Harare.
But there is room for setting small manufacturing and maintenance economic activities to provide jobs for the rural young people. Why should school furniture and uniforms be made and repaired in Harare?
How difficult is it to set up barber shops, hair salons or any repair shops? Should the bottle stores and small retail shops define the economic activity of the rural centres? Of course not.
Are politicians serious about improving the lives of the rural areas? The majority of the voters are in these areas. One thing upper most on their minds is that they play a major role in deciding who shall form the Government.
It is not asking too much to see that more tractors should serve the rural communities so that they can do away with ox drawn ploughs I saw everywhere. Many countries have moved away from back breaking activities into the use of modern scientific ways of servicing the rural areas. Vietnam is one country that has emerged from a devastating war to spearhead economic activities in the rural areas with much success.
For example, university and technical college graduates spend a year on attachment in rural centres visiting communities and advising the rural folk on economic matters. Economic students as well as engineering students are sent to the rural areas. Those from technical colleges such as carpenters, brick layers, water engineers are also sent to the rural areas. Seminars should be on such economic activities, such as, how to rear pigs, chickens etc.
The Medical School must be commended for sending their medical students and lecturers to the rural district hospitals on attachment. But the major problem becomes that there is no follow up by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to complement the work of the Medical School by employing qualified doctors to man the hospitals. There can never be any meaningful economic activities unless the rural people get better services.
Another area that impressed me was the work of Zesa which is providing electricity to these centres. I met with their officers who are proud of their role in providing electricity to schools as well as public centres and homes.
There is no doubt that more resources should go to revamping economic activity for the rural areas especially at growth points which should become the magnet for rural economic life.