adminDumisani Nsingo Senior Reporter
THREE state-of-the-art grinding mills and heavy-duty generators to power each of the mills have been lying idle in Hwange District for the past six years after the equipment was donated by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) under its farm mechanisation programme. In 2008 three wards — Sikumi, Simangani and Nekabandama which fall under chiefs Mvuthu, Whange and Nekatambe — were each allocated a Tan-Tan grinding mill, Kipor heavy-duty diesel generator and 200 litres of diesel under operation Maguta/Inala.
The equipment was meant to assist villagers to grind their farm produce at a cheaper price and within the confines of their vicinities instead of travelling long distances.
The grinding mills were delivered to the three wards by members of the Zimbabwe National Army who were overseeing the Maguta/Inala programme.
However, more than six years later the grinding mills in Sikumi and Nekabandama are still to be switched on while the one in Simangani only operated for a few months but later stopped as one businessman claimed “ownership” of the property and purportedly charged villagers large sums of money to grind their produce.
Operation Maguta/Inala was a Government programme under which the country’s security forces were assisting to boost production on farms.
The programme was launched in 2005 and was financially supported by the central bank.
The Sunday News visited Nekabandama recently and managed to catch a glimpse of the community grinding mill which is virtually in the open and only covered on top by an asbestos shed that is balanced on logs that are under siege from termites.
The machinery, especially the grinding mill, shows signs of being exposed to various types of weather and in some parts the effects of corrosion have taken their toll. Part of the generator’s cables have been damaged by rats while geckos and other creepy crawlies have since turned the 50 hertz device into their habitat.
Nekabandama Village head Andrew Shoko said members of the ZNA “dumped” the property in 2008 and promised to come back and train a few individuals on how to operate the equipment.
“This grinding mill was brought by soldiers and they placed it here and they told us that an expert was going to come and teach us how to operate it. As you can see for yourself, this is a sophisticated machine and there is no villager who can even dare operate it.
“The battery, which should assist in powering the generator, is now dead but the 200 litres of diesel that came together with the equipment is there at my home. It is our wish to have this grinding mill operational as it will benefit a significant number of villages. Most villagers have to walk quite considerable distances to grind their maize,” he said.
However, this paper has it on good authority that the village head was once arrested and appeared in court for selling the diesel which was left under his custody six years ago. He was spared a jail term on condition that he restitutes the commodity, which he did.
Hwange District administrator Mr Tapera Mugoriya said it was heart-rending to know that such expensive equipment was left to rot instead of being utilised to serve the plight of the rural folk.
“I can confirm that the equipment has been lying idle for quite some time and I tend to believe there are many such cases elsewhere. However, the case is different in Simangali as it is said one businessman was now abusing the equipment.
“The grinding mills were part of Operation Maguta/Inala so I have since communicated with ZNA about the state of the machinery and we are waiting to see what course of action they will take. However, it is also important to note that the machinery should be put to good use so that we meet part of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation in this regard food security and nutrition,” Mr Mugoriya said.
Chief Nekatambe, under whose jurisdiction Nekabandama falls, said he was working towards ensuring that the grinding mill starts operating soon so as to save his subjects from walking long distance to have their grain milled.
Last year, the traditional leader donated cement to construct a concrete slab to place the 600kg generator.
“The grinding mill is of paramount importance because its location is a central point to three villages, Chibhala, Luseche and Nekabandama. Villagers here are being forced to walk seven kilometres or to board vehicles to have their maize milled.
“I have spoken to Chinese (Zimbabwe China Shanxi Taixing Company) authorities that will be opening a coke oven plant in this area to assist to get the grinding mill operational and they agreed to do so in March. Obviously there is a need for a new battery and a starter for the generator,” Chief Nekatambe said.
Contacted for a comment, RBZ governor Dr John Mangudya said he was unaware of the state of the grinding mills but hinted that it was the duty of the central bank to ensure that it constantly checks on all the equipment it distributed.
“I am not aware of that but I will find out from management if they are aware of such a case. Of course as an institution we do carry out audits but we don’t do that on donated items or goods.
“We are, however, obliged to constantly check if such properties are being properly utilised and in this case these grinding mills were supposed to be benefiting communities and as such it is our duty to see to it that they do so,” he said.
Dr Mangudya said he was going to find out how the grinding mills ended up at their present locations without being utilised.
“I am going to task some of my management to find out why the equipment is not being utilised because we cannot have machinery being dumped like that,” he said.
Online Reporter