Mangwe residents mobilise resources for community bridge

SCHOOL children in Vaka area in Mangwe District will no longer fail to attend school during heavy rains as villagers have mobilised resources to build a bridge over Makombela River which hindered pupils from attending lessons during the rainy season.

Parents have mobilised resources to build the bridge, but are asking well-wishers to chip in to ensure that the project is completed before the rains.

The councillor for the area, Mrs Sakhile Ndebele, said every year during the rainy season, there are days when Vaka Primary and Ivimila Secondary pupils cannot not cross the flooded river, thus miss some lessons.

She said some people drowned in the river and some parents were resorting to withdrawing their children from school during the rainy season.

The councillor said villagers have contributed bags of cement and money towards building the bridge which is about 15 metres long.

“During the rainy season each year, pupils from Vaka area do not attend school because Makombela River will be full. In some cases their guardians accompany them across the river and wait for them when they have knock off from school and take them across the river once again.

“As a community we saw that there was a need to construct a bridge. At first we tried to bring some sponsors on board but failed and then we realised that we had to mobilise resources amongs ourselves,” she said. Mrs Ndebele said the project began in May. She said about 250 bags of cement were required to complete the project but they had so far managed to raise 40 bags as a community. She said raising all the equipment needed to build the bridge was turning out to be an uphill task for the villagers.

“We are not even half way through the project which means that the rainy season might start before we complete it. We still need to buy mesh wire in addition to the remaining 210 bags of cement”.

Mrs Ndebele said officers from the Mangwe Rural District Council Road Works and Planning Department and DDF were providing their expertise. —@ DubeMatutu.