Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
TSHOLOTSHO villagers from four wards along the Sipepa–Zabagwadi Road have embarked on a community-driven initiative to repair the badly damaged road that links their homes to the business centre.
The residents, form wards three, four, five and six, have mobilised themselves under a local project dubbed “Vuka Uzenzele”, pooling labour and resources to rehabilitate the road, which has deteriorated to the extent that some transport operators were threatening to withdraw their services.
The Department of Roads and the Rural Infrastructure Development Authority (RIDA) are providing technical guidance, while local bus operators have contributed two drums of fuel to support the rehabilitation works.
The brains behind the initiative, Mr Nkosiyabo Khumalo of ward five, said the community felt compelled to act after noticing that public transport operators, especially those servicing Tsholotsho Business Centre, were pulling out because of the poor state of the road.
“This is also a clear fulfilment of President Mnangagwa’s well-articulated philosophy that ‘Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo’. This spirit begins at household level, extends to the village and ultimately to the nation. No one can build a house for me except myself,” said Mr Khumalo.
He said beyond offering manual labour, villagers had agreed to contribute money towards the project.
“A committee has been set up to manage the fund. The money will be used to support various aspects of the project, which covers nearly 60 kilometres of road,” he said.
The initiative has been widely praised as a demonstration of community ownership and collective responsibility in addressing local development challenges.
