When a village was transformed in an instant

Theseus Shambare

TWO octogenarians – Emina Mauta (81) and Susan Manjo (83), from Musakanda Village, Masvingo province – vividly remember the day that changed their lives forever.

While returning home from their daily routine of fetching water from a stream more than 10 kilometres from their homes, the two grannies decided to take a breather under a leafless Musasa tree.

Momentarily resting their tired legs and relaxing their bodies, wearied by balancing water-filled buckets on their heads, had almost become a daily ritual.

However, they were interrupted by three unexpected visitors, who happened to be field officers from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

Fortuitously, the three were on a mission to implement President Mnangagwa’s Presidential Rural Development Scheme, which involves bringing water closer to communities.

For Gogo Mauta, the news was too good to be true.

“I hardly believed them because, for decades, water challenges have been the norm here,” she said.

“We would go with a cattle-drawn cart to fetch water from the closest stream for domestic use, but having lost our cattle to the January Disease, I was forced to embark on this daily task on foot. It would take hours to get water just for cooking and drinking.”

Musakanda, which is situated about 300 kilometres south of Harare, is one of the most vulnerable villages in Masvingo Province, where many areas are prone to drought.

However, its woes recently ended when Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, who was representing President Mnangagwa, launched several projects in the area under the Presidential Rural Development Scheme.

Accompanied by his Permanent Secretary, Dr John Basera, Dr Masuka also unveiled a piped water scheme for Sipambi Business Centre.

The piped water system, which had broken down more than 20 years ago, is now functional, bringing relief to more than 100 households.

This means villagers can now get the precious liquid virtually from their doorstep.

Community gardens

In addition to providing potable water, the piped water scheme will enable people in Musakanda to start a community irrigation project.

Dr Masuka handed over a village nutritional garden expected to benefit 60 households, including Gogo Mauta and Gogo Manjo.

“l have lived here all my life. I recall four years ago, people died in this village due to typhoid and cholera after drinking contaminated water. I even lost three family members and friends. To imagine that we could get enough water for our own gardens was unthinkable,” Gogo Manjo added.

The Musakanda nutritional garden, in which several development partners are also involved, comprises a state-of-the-art drip irrigation system that waters more than five crops, including tomatoes and potatoes.

The Agriculture Marketing Authority has since made an undertaking to link communal farmers with potential markets in surrounding areas.

The garden also houses two 20mx10m fish ponds.

Dr Masuka officially launched the project by planting 3 000 fingerlings in the pond.

“This is just the beginning. More production is going to be made here, including honey and rabbit production. Our vision is that households can be able to export from this garden,” Dr Masuka said.

The Presidential Rural Development Scheme seeks to transform the lives of rural villagers in various ways.

In addition to water coming to their doorstep, the two grandmothers also had their houses renovated and painted.

Fowl runs were also constructed for them for free to enable them to benefit from the Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme.

Through the scheme, which seeks to promote rural household nutrition and boost incomes through livestock production, rural families will receive 10 indigenous chickens each.

The programme gives priority to women, the elderly and youth-headed families.

Beneficiaries also receive requisite skills to enhance their capacity to maximise production.

Youth Centres

Under the President’s Rural Development Programme in Musakanda, the dilapidated Sipambi Youth Centre was rehabilitated.

Agro-economic lessons are now being conducted by a resident extension officer at the centre to equip farmers with the necessary information needed to treat agriculture as a business.

Field officers are equipped with information and communication technology gadgets to facilitate easy dissemination of information to farmers.

It is envisaged that communities such as Musakanda will ultimately produce quality products for the export market.