By Itai Muzondo
Zvishavane South Old People’s Committees (OPCs) have gone for 62 years waiting for a dam project to become a reality in order for them to embark on an irrigation project, it has emerged.
Speaking during the Humanitarian Information Facilitation Centre (HIFC) engagement meetings recently in the Midlands province, the OPC chairperson Aaron Masuku said his community was still hopeful that the government would construct Chibumba-Barebare dam which was pegged in 1953.
Masuku said they were tired of ‘the aid’ from well wishers when the government could come up with poverty alleviating projects for them.
“Instead of giving us food, why not give us fixed projects like irrigation schemes. In this area, we have pending projects that would see us survive in times of low yield as this one like the long forgotten Chibumba – Barebare dam where an irrigation project was pegged back in 1953 but still a pipedream until now,” said Masuku.
“We also have nothing to brag home about from the looming mining industry in this area. Diamonds have since been discovered close by at Murowa diamonds but development is still static considering the state of roads and schools around in comparison to the impact of the same mineral in nations like Botswana,” added Masuku.
Zvishavane South Member of Parliament Freddy Moyo, however, said that the government is struggling because of the national challenge and promised that he would sit with his constituency at local level to curb the current challenges.
“Government is struggling because the current drought is a national challenge. I however, look forward to sit face to face with my constituency at local level besides lobbying for their grievances in parliament so that we come up with a contingent plan especially on such irrigation projects,” said Moyo.
Freddy Moyo
Another OPC member, Collier Gumbochuma also blamed the government over the poverty affecting the community.
“We blame the government at large for this current situation of widespread hunger as their land reform program brought along a lot of anomalies which holds back rains resulting in severe droughts,” said Gumbochuma.local
