Of ‘marginalisation’
dent at Manjolo, one of the small shopping centres in the area.
The state of the road infrastructure, in many ways, becomes the symbol of neglect in the district, where in some parts, people live in a semiwild state, and enduring conflicts with the animals from the game parks that surround them.
Their story of marginalisation has been made worse by the recent recall of Sibanda, the Binga North MP.
Sibanda joined the growing list of legislators and councillors being recalled by the judiciallyconstructed MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe.
Khupe won a Constitutional Court dispute that gave her control of the main MDC-T and she has been on a sustained drive to kick out legislators and councillors not loyal to her, in what many have touted as aiding the ruling Zanu PF’s gravitation towards a one-party state.
For the people of Binga, they see this as a war against them, and an attempt to further rob them of the only voice they ever had in the form of Sibanda.
“Now that the government together with Khupe have recalled Sibanda, it is clear that they have started a war with the people of Binga.
“We are prepared to protect our votes, and we will do all it takes,” said one villager.
According to some, the politics of Binga, where the opposition has always won since 2000, explains the neglect.
“We have always supported the opposition, and perhaps that is why we remain forgotten,” said a Manjolo villager, who requested to remain anonymous.
“We have community members, who no longer go for social welfare services.
“This is because whether they attend or not, none will recognise them because they are opposition.
“When will our time come where everyone shall be recognised as a citizen beyond politics? Being MDC Alliance remains my right.”
Perennial hunger and water shortages stalk Binga and the ZPP, which holds community peacebuilding dialogues in the area, expressed concern over the continued vulnerability of the people in the area.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made life worse for the people in Binga as they have faced harassment, intimidation and assault by the security forces deployed in the area and they have had to contend with what they call partisan police officers who abuse them in the name of the ruling Zanu PF.
“How do I report any human right abuse to a police officer or a public officer who I always see wearing Zanu PF regalia?
“It’s obvious when I report to them about being violated about their colleagues from Zanu PF, they will surely undermine my right and tell me to go away, or they will further abuse me,” said a community member, who was part of a ZPP Community Dialogue held this month.
“It is within their right that the people of Binga preserve their language, culture, values and norms, and government should respect that and instead enhance it by ensuring educational materials in Tonga language are made available.
“Tonga is one of the nine national languages and government should prioritise mainstreaming it and ensuring that Tonga people also get access to higher education to enable them to contribute to their communities,” added Mukoko.
ZPP called on government to be cognisant of the fact that sustainable peace is built through the provision of necessary social services, in addition to respecting the human rights of the people of Zimbabwe.