Faith Duri
Chief Nemamwa born Fungai Manjiva said the local communities are not realizing the full benefit of natural resources abundant in their local area and challenged the responsible authorities to ensure communities are developed.
Speaking during a belated World Press Freedom Day commemorations hosted on June 18 by Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe at Sikato Primary School, Manjiva said Nemamwa boasts of a number of resources among them the Great Zimbabwe Monuments (a world heritage site), Lake Mutirikwi and minerals around the Manyama area, whose proceeds are not used towards improving livelihoods of locals.
“Tourists come and pay certain amounts of money but it is not benefiting us as a community. Of course, I cannot say the amount of money they get per week or per month, all I am saying is we have such tourist attraction in form of Great Zimbabwe Monuments here in Nemamwa, let it contribute in helping the community,” said Chief Nemamwa.
He also raised the issue of environmental degradation by artisanal miners in the Manyama area and he said the minerals mainly gold mined there are not even helping develop the area.
“The issue of artisanal miners is our major problem in this community; they just come and dig wherever they want as long as they suspect there is gold hence causing environmental degradation not even considering the fact that we have sacred places where we do our rituals.
“They do not follow our customary laws that compel them to first inform the Chief in whatever activity you want to do when you are in someone’s area of jurisdiction, so we are pleading with the government or investors to give our youth proper mining documentation and equipment and thus creating employment to our local people,” he added.
He further challenged authorities to upgrade the status of Nemamwa to at least a satellite town.
“We call upon government to upgrade the status of Nemamwa for it to be a satellite town of Masvingo where we can see N.Richards, OK supermarket and banks so that our community will be digitalized, we have so many young generations who do not even know how to take money at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM),” added the Chief .
Manjiva also raised the issue of fish poachers in Mutirikwi suggesting that government should have put in place measures that would allow for the locals to be given fishing licenses and thus ensure they would benefit something from the lake.
“Fishery is a great project that can raise Nemamwa’s status but unlawful fishers came without our consent fishing in the lake.
“National Parks should also give us fishing boats at least three of them that will help our community in fishing projects hence increasing employment creation and helping the local community,” added Manjiva.
He however, said the community has seen some glimpses of hope towards the development front after construction of two maternity wards at clinics relieving pregnant women from the burdens of accessing proper maternal health care.
“We have new developments that we really appreciate as a community for example the construction of 10 megawatts power generation project from the dam wall though we desire for more mega warts and also construction of two maternity clinics. Women would travel long distances while some will even gave birth in scotch-carts on their way to clinics,” he added.
