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ZANU PF Central Committee member Cde Joshua Sacco has his eyes set on Chimanimani East Constituency in the forthcoming harmonised elections after embarking on several developmental programmes aimed at uplifting the constituency.
Cde Sacco has been tasked by the ruling party to superintend the constituency following the expulsion of its former legislator, Samuel Undenge.
He seems to have taken heed of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for socio-economic development, as his initiatives are aimed at revamping the constituency, which appears to have been economically dead for a very long time.
Cde Sacco is now being referred to as Musara Pavana by some villagers from Chimanimani East, whose plight has forced him to fork out own resources to develop the area.
“I come from this area and I grew up here. I know how this constituency has been retrogressing in terms of social and economic development,” he said.
“I know the plight of people who live here and I am aware of the potential this constituency has when it comes to production. This area has been abandoned for quite a long time. I then decided to fork out my own resources to develop the community in which I also come from,” he said. Cde Sacco has mobilised resources for the rehabilitation and spot gravelling of the road from Muchadziya Clinic to Nyahode. He also lobbied the Ministry of Local Transport and Infrastructural Development to tar a 22-kilometre stretch of road from Charter to Peacock.
Work is already underway.
“It has not been maintained for the past 22 years. There is a contractor who is currently working on the road,” said Cde Sacco. The road from Machongwe business centre to Copper is also having a facelift and road works will also continue from Copper to Jopa. Machongwe business centre also received a facelift with the roads being maintained.
“Chimanimani is endowed with a lot of fruit produce but locals are not fully benefitting from their sale. It is simply because of poor road network to the markets. For example, bananas were being sold at 10cents per kilogramme meaning the farmers were not selling at a profit,” said Cde Sacco. Cde Sacco also said that he decided to complement Government’s efforts of command water harvesting with a number of water bodies having been identified in Chimanimani East.
He has channeled resources towards desilting a dam in Nyambeya, which is earmarked for command fishing.
“We have identified 12 water bodies in Cashel Valley where water harvesting will take place. We also want to construct a parallel carnal, which will supply water for irrigation in Ward 1. Most people from that area depend on irrigation,” he said.
The Zanu-PF Central Committee member also said his wish was to improve communication networks in the area.
He said people in Chikukwa had been living without accessing mobile networks for years. “In that vein, we have mobilised for the installation of a base station at Chisengu, which is already under construction.
We have also found another site at Martin Fire Tower where another network booster will be erected. I have also since lobbied for the digitalisation of TelOne services, which were still using analogue and I am happy that they swiftly responded,” he said.
Cde Sacco said he was also lobbying for improved health services in Chimanimani East. He said he was looking forward to engaging responsible authorities to bring a medical doctor to Chimanimani hospital, which he said had been operating for years without one.
“We have been relying on Mutambara hospital since the hospital, which is here does not have a medical doctor. It is my hope that responsible authorities can bring a resident medical doctor here,” he said. He also said he was working towards upgrading sports and recreational services in the area, which has seen the upgrading of soccer pitches at Tiya Primary and Secondary schools.
Cde Sacco also promised to upgrade sporting facilities and recreational centres in all the 13 wards in Chimanimani East.
“I have been doing all this with the blessings of the Zanu-PF leadership especially Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa and provincial chairperson Cde Mike Madiro,” he said.
Timothy Mapanzure from Berera village said they had gone for years without seeing development in their area.
“We were expecting this change for a very long time but we had no one to look up to. We thank Cde Sacco for the job. We are seeing change and we hope he will continue bringing development in this area. He is promising to construct some bridges in our communities,” he said.Mrs Shylet Kapupurika from Ward 13 expressed gratitude for the development taking place in their area.
“This is the kind of development that we have been looking forward to over the years. We have been let down by those who were leading this area. They did nothing over the years and we do not know why they have been neglecting this area,” she said.
Gamuchirai Mukoto from Bvumbura B commended Cde Sacco’s efforts saying they were optimistic of improved livelihoods following the revival of irrigation activities in their area.
“We depend on irrigation and we have been told that 100 bags of cement are coming for the construction of weirs in Bvumbura B and Zimunda. This is the kind of development we want to see here,” he said. Mrs Evelyn Murawa said Cde Sacco should evenly spread development in the constituency.
“It is true that he has been doing something of late but he must not concentrate on one side of the constituency. I know that he is not yet our MP but if he was given the mandate to look after the constituency then he should look at all corners,” she said.
For the short period he has been superintending over Chimanimani East, Cde Sacco has demonstrated that he has what it takes to develop the constituency. He gets a rating of 8/10.