Mutasa RDC rolls out impactful projects

MUTASA Rural District Council has for the past few years been implementing life-changing projects that permeate all the facets of life in its 31 administrative wards.

The projects, which are in line with the thrust to initiate development that leaves no place and none behind, reached every corner of the district, courtesy of funding from the Central Government’s devolution funds, council’s own coffers and development agencies.

The mountainous district has a population of about 197 000 people who survives mainly on forestry, mining, crop agriculture, power generation, tourism, dairy farming and peasant farming.

The Manica Post news crew toured the district recently and witnessed how the local authority has invested heavily in critical areas like health, education, water and sanitation, rehabilitation of the road infrastructure, servicing of social amenities facilities like community halls and sport grounds.

Mutasa RDC’s acting chief executive officer, Mr Kenneth Zenda said they prioritised projects that have direct impact on the day-to-day lives of the citizens. He said some projects have been completed, while others are at various levels of construction, and thanked the Second Republic for the timeous release of devolution funds, which enabled the council to operate smoothly.

“Mutasa Rural District Council is carrying several developmental projects in all the 31 wards to uplift the lives of the citizens. The projects run into millions of dollars, and they are bringing about positive change to the respective communities.

We do not impose projects on the people, but first consult them to see what their priorities are as communities.

“These projects are made possible through funding from the Central Government, development partners, and off course our internal funds generated from rates and levies that are paid by residents,” said Mr Zenda.

Access to health

“On health, we have constructed Nyamukwarara Clinic in Ward Five, which is now complete and fully operational. We also have Muparutsa Clinic which was recently completed and now awaits commissioning, while Magadzire Clinic in Ward 14, which was jointly funded through devolution and council’s own funds, is almost complete. Chidazembe Clinic in Ward 18 is now at gable level, while Samutete

Clinic in Ward Three is still under construction and work is progressing well.

The council has also refurbished Tsvingwe Clinic and constructed several waiting mothers’ shelters on a number of clinics in the district to cater for expecting mothers. These clinics have staff residences to house nurses and supporting staff, and are equipped with boreholes and security fences. These health facilities have come as a huge relief for the communities because unlike in the past, patients no longer travel long distances to access health services. Home deliveries have been drastically reduced as expectant mothers can now access health services at nearby clinics,” he said.

Education services

Mr Zenda said Mutasa RDC is constructing two new schools — Murara and Chikwira secondary schools in ward 25 and three, respectively.

The local authority is also constructing additional blocks at Mt Jenya Secondary School.

“Council is constructing Murara and Chikwira secondary schools. The former is currently operating from Murara Primary School, causing congestion, while at Mt Jenya Secondary, a classroom block has been constructed. Chikwira Secondary School in Ward Three is also under construction. Learners in these areas used to travel long distances, an anomaly that unfortunately promoted truancy and encouraged school drop-outs,” he said.

Water and sanitation hygiene services (WASH).

Mutasa RDC has established a number of piped water schemes in the district as well as some ablution facilities at Hauna Growth Point.

The piped water schemes have been established in Magadzire Village Ward 14, Triashill Mission, Mt Chiriza Ward 33, Nyandonga, Rori, Domborutinhira and Sanyamandwe.

“At Makwasa Primary School, which caters for learners with hearing impairment, an aid agency, KFW partnered with council to set up a piped water scheme, while at Pafiwa High School, council constructed ablution facilities which mainstreams learners with disabilities.

“We have also constructed public toilets and drilled a borehole with a storage water tank at Hauna Growth Point. We have set up some water supply tanks at Chinyanjera to guarantee water supply in Penhalonga, while the Fort Umtali water reticulation system that feeds into Tsvingwe has also been attended to.

“The improved sanitation situation has helped to fight water-borne diseases. People now have access to clean water. They are no longer fetching water from open and contaminated sources,” he said.

Roads

Good roads can improve the quality of life in rural areas by increasing agricultural productivity, socio-economic development, and access to goods and services. They can also help vulnerable groups, such as children with disabilities, women, and mothers, and improve access to maternal and child health care.

Mr Zenda said his council has constructed a number of small bridges and graveled roads in the district to enhance trafficability, courtesy of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme introduced by Government.

“Under the ERRP, we managed to attend to all our damaged roads, and are now in better a condition and trafficable. These include Bethania-Makaha and Zongoro-Manhenda. The terrain in the district is slippery, and the roads require consistent attention.

“We have constructed several causeways on a number of rivers to avert situations where motorists and members of the public had problems accessing certain areas due to non-availability of bridges,” said Mr Zenda.

The local authority has also established new sport fields and revamped Sanyamandwe Hall at Mutasa DC which was destroyed by hailstorm.

“We installed a new roof, painted and fenced the hall as well as construct ablution facilities. The is a multi-purpose hall used by churches, schools and companies for their events.

“We created new sport grounds at Mutasa DC for use by sports enthusiasts in line with our thrust to produce sporting stars in the district. The sport fields are located centrally in the district for easy access by everyone. Council chipped in at Zimbabwe New Hope Home in Ward Six, which houses elderly citizens and repaired the dormitories and built a standard kitchen for them”, he said.

Mutasa RDC also used part of the devolution funds to purchase vital capital equipment and machinery which have led to improved service delivery in the district.

The equipment includes backhoe loader, tipper truck, refuse compactor and dumper truck. In the past council used to hire them, but now proudly own them, making its job easier.