Chronicle (Zimbabwe)

Hwange channels CDF money to schools

- Leonard Ncube

ELEVEN schools constituen­cy the over $400

Developmen­t Fund

Government.

Hwange Central legislator Mr Daniel Molokele said he received a CDF lump sum of $405 000 for three years; 2018 to 2020.

He said after an initial proposal to use the funds to establish a community radio in Hwange hit a brick wall, the funds were then used to buy paint for administra­tion blocks at eight primary schools and three secondary schools in his constituen­cy.

The beneficiar­ies are Lusumbami, Lwendulu, Mabinga, Makwika, Nechibondo, Sir Humphrey Gibbs, St Georges and St Ignatius primary schools.

The secondary

Chilisa, Hwange High

Secondary. in Hwange Central benefitted from 000 Constituen­cy (CDF) allocated by schools and are Hwange

The schools got between 35 litres and 80 litres each depending on individual need.

Addressing a constituen­cy developmen­t meeting that was held virtually, Mr Molokele said the 2021 CDF will be used to drill boreholes in three rural wards to augment water.

He said the constituen­cy expects $2 million for 2021.

Most parts of Hwange are dry as rivers hardly fill up during the rainy season because of silting while boreholes dry up during the hot months.

“The CDF came on the third year which is 2020. We got $50 000 for 2018, $80 000 for 2019 and $225 000 for last year. We had anticipate­d to use the money for funding establishm­ent of a community radio initiative which we felt would have been a long term project for the constituen­cy as all our programmes would not have a platform where they will be tackled but it was turned down.

“So we hastily came up with another proposal to rehabilita­te school administra­tion blocks and 11 benefitted. We handed the schools the paint and they were painting on their own,” said Mr Molokele.

The CDF committe has agreed to use the money to drill boreholes in ward 12, ward 13 and ward 20.

The committee which includes councillor­s for the areas has already identified deserving areas and is waiting for disburseme­nt of the funds.

Mr Molokele said nutritiona­l gardens will be establishe­d after the drilling of the boreholes and a nongovernm­ental organisati­on will spearhead that.

He said the CDF had come up with a deliberate policy to rotate allocation of the funds between rural and urban wards hence next year wards in Hwange town will benefit.

In 2023 beneficiar­ies will be in the rural wards.

Government has reiterated its call for MPs to utilise the CDF in a transparen­t manner to develop constituen­cies. —@ncubeleon cm

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