Umguza: When Devolution, Constituency Development Funds bear fruit
“One percent inflows in Bulawayo dams”, this was the screaming headline carried by our sister paper, Chronicle last Wednesday.
The story summed up the crisis the city is facing in terms of the water situation such that residents in the city are currently enduring a 96-hour water shedding programme. This has been the story for a number of years in the country’s second largest city. It is now a common sight seeing residents with buckets on their heads or in wheel barrows as they seek the precious liquid.
At one point some selfish, enterprising residents were even selling water to desperate individuals as the crisis exacerbated.
It has unfortunately become a way of life in the city, it is unimaginable to have residents getting a continuous supply of water throughout the year. Even for the media fraternity words such as perennial have become the order of the day when describing the city’s problems.
However, tell this exact story to villagers in Ward Three, Mbembesi which falls under Umguza constituency and they will literally laugh at you. To them water is in continuous supply. Not from wells or boreholes but piped water. Imagine taking a stroll and coming across a water tape in the middle of nowhere not only to service residents but also visitors wanting to quench their thirst or otherwise. That is the fortunate case in Mbembesi.
It is probably one of the places in Zimbabwe that adheres to the right to water and sanitation in the bill of rights as the villagers do not pay a single cent for the piped water, all they pay is the $5 per household that is meant for the security guards who man their main pump. This is the story of the Mbembesi water project.
The development was spearheaded by Umguza Rural District Council with support from Umguza legislator, Cde Richard Moyo, through funds availed by the Government as part of the devolution funds. Government allocated the devolution funds to be shared among the 10 provinces based on a number of factors such as poverty levels in all rural districts, quality of infrastructure and the size of the population. Most provinces have started using the funds for construction of schools, clinics and roads, among other projects aimed at facilitating development.
The Mbembesi project is one of the projects that has seen these funds being put to good use and helping a community get an otherwise scarce resource in other areas like the earlier example of Bulawayo. So orderly is the project that the main pump is powered by solar, with a number of 10 000 litre Jojo tanks littered throughout the ward to help service the village.
Mrs Musa Tshuma, one of the villagers revealed that the facility was going a long way in easing their water woes, noting that over 3 000 homesteads were benefiting.
“What we have done is stopped being crybabies but came up with solutions to the problems we are facing. Many-a-times villagers complain of water shortages without taking it upon themselves to proffer solutions. For us however, water shortages are now a thing of the past, as you see some of the villagers have small horticulture projects within their homesteads, some also have a near ripe maize crop all because of this water,” said Mrs Tshuma.
She revealed that villagers were taking advantage of the hands-on approach exhibited by the local councillor Vethi Tshuma and Cde
Moyo to work on a number of projects meant to solve problems they have been encountering over the years.
“One problem that we realised is that of a primary school where our children had to travel between five and ten kilometres to Cameroon Primary. Villagers then came together to construct a primary school from scratch. Cde Moyo donated cement for us to mould our own bricks and as we speak the first ECD block is almost complete.
“We understand the MP has also donated more cement bags for us to complete the project through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), we therefore expect the block to be complete by then,” said an ecstatic Mrs Tshuma.
Umguza constituency co-ordinator, Mr Paul Mthimkulu buttressed Mrs Tshuma’s sentiments revealing that the constituency was working hard to implement a number of projects, with the latest being the disbursement of the Constituency Development Funds and devolution funds which they used to purchase cement bags meant for the construction of a of classroom blocks for schools around the constituency.
He revealed that the constituency was not only focusing on school and water projects but they had developed a strategy where they concentrated on specific wards, where they consulted villagers and worked on projects as per their needs.
“To date our MP has helped repair 330 boreholes, this inclusive of rehabilitation and in some of the boreholes he was fitting new components. Further all schools in Umguza have received furniture and he is also helping construct ECD classrooms in schools without them.
“We commend the Government for also coming up with the devolution fund, which has seen Ward Three being the biggest beneficiary of this fund where there is a state-of-the-art water pipe scheme. Ward Five and Ward 12 in Igusi also have a piped water scheme all with proceeds from the devolution funds,” said Mr Mthimkulu.
Questioned on how the CDF had been specifically used, with the backdrop of previous media reports that legislators would abuse the fund instead of developing their communities, the constituency co-ordinator revealed that theirs was all about transparency as all projects were done through consultations.
“In terms of CDF we have bought 600 bags of cement which have been donated to 12 schools in the constituency meant for the construction and rehabilitation of ECD classrooms. The constituency got an initial $175 000 of which we expect more funds to be channelled by this fund, which will definitely go a long way in reviving the constituency’s education sector. Our plans are that when the next batch of CDF is availed, we will purchase door and window frames among other building projects to help complete the building projects which have been embarked on,” he said.
Mr Mthimkulu said the openness by Cde Moyo led the constituency to be easy to work with as villagers were getting the projects they wanted, not projects that were forced onto them.
“People are very happy and appreciative because everything that we do, we consult the people. There is always a need for assessment before we embark on projects, we visit the people, talk to them and get their needs, then which we go on to work towards satisfying their needs. The uniqueness of Umguza is that our MP is flexible and is always on the ground, he is ever discussing with the people because at the end of the day it is not about the MP but it is about the people he represents,” he said.