JEAN KAPATA’S SUCCESS STORY FOR MANDEVU
MANDEVU
Constituency in Lusaka is one of the province’s biggest and highly populated constituencies. The name “Mandevu” which means beard is believed to have originated from the earliest Zimbabwean male settlers in the area. These men always shaved their heads but maintained a beard making people refer to them as “Ba Mandevu.”
Currently under Patriotic Front’s Jean Kapata as member of Parliament, Mandevu is a vast constituency comprising seven wards with a mixed economic and social lifestyle. It shares its borders with Matero, Lusaka Central, Katuba and Munali constituencies.
Ms Kapata, who has served in different ministerial positions and is Lands and Natural Resources minister, has represented Mandevu since 2006. She first was elected under PF while in opposition and has served two terms including the current one under PF as a ruling party. This makes her the longest serving MP for the area and one with a lot of success stories to share. In an interview after a tour of Mandevu Constituency facilitated by the Zambia Women Parliamentary Caucus (ZWPC) with support from Hivos, Ms Kapata said she is pleased that Mandevu has witnessed more development in her time.
“When I went into Mandevu, a lot of things were not in place, things like road network, bridges, secondary schools, police stations, markets and many other infrastructures,” she said.
She said no sooner was she voted into power in 2006, than she embarked on a serious development plan that prioritised infrastructure development, education, health, water reticulation and community empowerment.
Amongst her main priorities under infrastructure development, as evidenced from the tour, Ms Kapata advocated for the construction of bridges and improvement of roads. She said bridges were key because Mandevu is cut across by the Ngwerere Stream.
She was concerned by a number of school-going children drowning at different crossing points during the rainy season because there were no bridges.
“At the time, Mandevu needed about 32 bridges. We were experiencing a lot of calamities. I am happy to say that 26 bridges have so far been done through CDF and NRFA (National Road Fund Agency),” Ms Kapata said, tying the construction of bridges to improvement of the road network system in Mandevu.
“Many roads were a very sorry site,” she said, adding that in response to her advocacy, Mandevu now has most of its major roads done by government.
These include, among the over 30 that have been done so far, the creation of a link between Meanwood and Zambezi Road, tarring of Chazanga-Kabanana road, improving and expansion of Katima Mulilo, Great North and Zambezi roads to name only a few.
“Chanzanga-Kabanana road was a difficult road to use especially in the rainy season. For most of us traders, we were losing out on business but when they constructed and tarred the road, business improved here in Kabanana,” remarked a Kabanana resident, in appreciating the development.
Another major area of development undertaken by Ms Kapata to change the face of Mandevu was to improve security. This she achieved by lobbying for police posts in almost every ward. In the past, Mandevu was considered “a no-go area” due to high levels of crimes. This prompted her to prioritise police posts. As a result, Ngombe, Lesoleil, Kasisi, Garden, Chipwalu, Marrapodi, Northgate, Mandevu and Kabanana police posts have since been constructed with more on the way.
“I can say crime is now under control, not 100 percent of course but we have continued working well with the police in Mandevu. I have called for night patrols and police posts have been done in almost every ward,” Ms Kapata said, emphasising that residents are now happy with the improved security.
“There is now sanity and we really thank the MP for improving our security in Mandevu Constituency. We also thank the police for the patrols which have reduced criminal activities especially in the night,” Ms Foster Ngandwe, a resident and businesslady of Chazanga compound said.
With education, Ms Kapata admits that Mandevu being a high density constituency, has always faced a challenge of not having enough schools.
For this reason, her commitment has been to build and upgrade schools. New schools such as Kabanana Day Secondary School have been built to increase enrolments at high school level and curb the problem of school-children walking long-distances to access secondary education.
This was the same case with schools like Mejocama Primary and Secondary School as well as Mandevu Primary School.
Added to construction of schools is the financial support given to community schools. Over eight schools in Mandevu have received support from the MP.
Ms Kapata is also aware that despite the challenges in education, her constituency has proudly produced academic achievers and through her office again, she continues to facilitate the need to have several children on university bursaries.
“Mandevu has very intelligent children. We have sent more than 500 kids to university through the bursaries.
My office takes this seriously and sources for bursaries for these children. These are children coming from vulnerable families and their parents are helped to educate them,” she explained.
Like any other constituency with a large population, Mandevu’s needs for health provision are equally demanding. However, Ms Kapata is happy that in the three terms she has served, most of her priority goals on health have been met.
She for example, talks of the construction of five health posts to supplement the already-existing ones in her tenure. These five are Ngo’mbe-Kasisi, Fumbelo-Kabanana, Garden, and Kabanana Site and Service health posts.
“We have clinics in almost every ward. Let me also state that from the 650 clinics (Ministry of Health countrywide programme), Mandevu benefitted about four clinics,” she said.
The success in the health sector can also be extended to water reticulation. Bearing in mind that water and sanitation still remains a challenge for Mandevu, Ms Kapata has continually advocated for the provision of safe drinking water through the creation of Water Trusts.
“We have water trusts in every ward. We still have few places with water problems but we have written to responsible ministries for response. We are now put
ting up boreholes away from the compounds because of the high population and most of our underground water is contaminated in Lusaka,” Ms Kapata said.
She said her office is working with relevant offices like Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company to improve water and sanitation as well as general hygiene. In 2015 for example, her office procured a tractor for garbage collection.
In women and youth empowerment, Ms Kapata is proud that the constituency is part of the 5, 000 Family Empowerment Programme under Kalumbila Cooperative Limited. Recently, the Cooperative handed over a Higer Bus to youths of Mandevu.
Under the same, Mandevu women and youths have acquired land in Kanakantapa area where they are growing vegetables like tomatoes and rearing livestock.
This is as result of her vigorous approach to see her constituents become self-sufficient. “We are happy about this project. We are also involved in the Pass on Project where 20 chickens have been given to each community group to rear. We have also given out pigs and goats,” Ms Kapata said.
Occasionally, Ms Kapata uses her own resources to support and fund these initiatives. She for instance, supported the 2019 Mr Mandevu Bodybuilding Contest. She has on several occasions empowered youth and women through the donation of bales of second-hand clothes for them to sell.
“Sometimes you have to dig in your pockets to fund these projects,” she said, adding that from time to time, she has also gotten support from corporates but going forward she is looking at creating strong partnerships.
Ms Kapata has also lined up a number of other projects she hopes to achieve before her term ends. She believes what she has achieved so far is as a result of her leadership style especially as a female parliamentarian.
“I have been a performer and I have been on the ground. No fights have ever derailed me, I have been focussed,” says Ms Kapata.
I can say crime is now under control, not 100 percent of course but we have continued working well with the police in Mandevu. I have called for night patrols and police posts have been done in almost every ward.