Mbire cries out for Govt complex
MBIRE is one of the few districts in the country that do not have a Government Complex as well as a district hospital.
This emerged during an all stakeholders meeting held at Mbire Rural District Council boardroom in Mushumbi Pools on Tuesday.
Acting Mbire District Administrator, Mr George Nyarugwe, said some Government departments were housed at Mahuwe, while others were at Mushumbi Pools.
“Our district is one of the few which does not have a Government Complex. Some of the departments are in Mahuwe, while others are here, making co-ordination of programmes very difficult.
“We are appealing to Central Government to consider constructing a complex here in Mbire that houses all departments. Some of the departments are using makeshift structures and this is resulting in high staff turn-over as people move elsewhere where there are better facilities.
“Accommodation for civil servants is a challenge here. We do not have a Government hospital and rely on Chitsungo Mission Hospital where there is also a high staff turnover because of lack of basic things like network coverage. The First Lady, Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa was here recently and expressed concern over the state of affairs in this district,” he said.
Mr Nyarugwe said out of the 10 nurses that were recently deployed to Chitsungo Mission Hospital, seven had already left citing the remoteness of the area.
Addressing the same meeting Mashonaland Central provincial administrator, Mr Cosmas Chiringa, also expressed concern over the state of affairs in Mbire District.
“We wonder how people operate here since this district is the only one without a Government complex in the province. The construction of an office block and accommodation should be a top priority.
“I will raise this pertinent issue with the Department of Public Works because with investments which this district is now attracting, we need to show the world how serious we are,” said Mr Chiringa.
He said road rehabilitation should be a top priority in the district as some areas are usually inaccessible during the rainy season.
“We should come up with timeliness for all our projects. It is no longer business as usual like what was happening before. We need active monitoring committees that will supervise all projects.
“We should not always sit back and mourn over our challenges. We should leverage on some of our advantages to see a new Mbire.
“This district should benefit from its position as the shortest route to Central Africa. We should continue putting on pressure on the responsible authorities to ensure that we achieve the desired results,” he said.
On the issue of the Kanyemba landing bay at the border with Zambia, Mr Chiringa said those involved in the project should pull up their socks as it has been on the drawing board for a long time.
Mbire Rural District Council chairman, Councillor Robson Chidongo urged the Ministry of Transport to prioritise the Kanyemba landing bay project.
“Zambia has done its part, but we are always coming up with excuses on what us causing delays on the project. I wonder whether the easy of doing business phrase exists in the Ministry of Transport’s vocabulary. Meetings after meetings are being held over the issue of the Kanyemba landing bay and the road construction, but nothing is moving on the ground,” said Clr Chidongo.