Chronicle EditorNohlelo Mlilo, Sunday News Reporter
ST Peter’s Villagers on the outskirts of Bulawayo are appealing for assistance in fixing a borehole cylinder that broke down in August last year which is now affecting the operations at a nutritional garden that is located at the peri-urban community.
The Siphatheleni Garden Project has 50 members who have since been failing to continue with their nutritional gardening activities. Over 70 households have also been affected by the breakdown.
Matabeleland Institute of Human Rights (MIHR) co-ordinator, Mr Khumbulani Maphosa said those using the garden now have to wait for the rainy season to start their garden activities.
He revealed that a lot of livelihoods had since been affected by the breakdown hence the appeal for well-wishers to assist in its rehabilitation.
“The borehole has been broken for a long time now and it has affected community members that are on nutritional gardening activities as they have to wait for the rainy season and it is important to note that people involved in such activities are widows, single mothers and elderly people with no income.
We are appealing to well-wishers to assist so that the borehole can be fixed,” said Mr Maphosa.
Members of the project who spoke to Sunday News said the breakdown of the borehole has led to the total devastation of their vegetables.
“The breaking down of the borehole has resulted to total devastation of our vegetables, thus affecting our socio-economic rights therefore, we are appealing to well-wishers to assist our community, which is mainly made up of the elderly, to source the broken down cylinder and fix the borehole,” said one of the members, who identified himself as Mr Ncube.
They also said that the other immediate needs to better the borehole functioning include, solar equipping and piping to reduce the burden of manual pumping and carrying buckets to water the garden .
Bongani Ndlovu