Zimbabwe: Bury Political Differences for Unity to Prevail

Source from:  by the government of Zimbabwe The Herald (Harare) 3 September 2008 09/04/2008

A smart partnership deal between the Industrial Development Trust, a development-oriented trust and small-scale farmers in Chinyika Resettlement Scheme, Makoni East was launched on August 22 at Chinhenga. Below are excerpts of an interview by Tendai Hildegarde Manzvanzvike with Headman Marowa before the launch of the project. Background The area falls under the jurisdiction of headman Marowa (Retired Major Kunyaya), under Chief Makoni. Pastor Joshua Madziturira of ZAOGA FIF, Marlborough District, spearheaded the project. Chinyika was one of the first resettlement schemes launched by Government more than two and half decades ago when Government acquired land under the willing seller, willing buyer scheme. One of IDT's objectives is to empower disadvantaged and neglected groups including war veterans, war collaborators, restrictees and detainees, the disabled, widows and orphans. And their core values are value addition, import substitution, the development and empowerment of women and youths and poverty elimination. The partnership was borne out of 83-year-old Mbuya Ndakadyei Madziturira, mother to Pastor Madziturira who took it upon herself to pay second term school fees for two orphaned children attending Chinhenga Primary School with the up-keep money she gets from her children. Mbuya Madziturira shared her concerns and vision with the pastor who ended up paying second term school fees for 138 needy children. In return, the pastor shared his mother's vision with Mr Luke Kuvheya, Chairman of IDT. IDT in turn decided to assist all the children at the school and they paid second and third term school fees for all children at Chinhenga Primary School, including pre-school children. They also donated a computer to the school. At the project launch IDT presented the first consignment of farm inputs, which included tobacco, paprika and sunflower seed and compound D fertilizer. IDT also provided an agronomist who will assist farmers throughout the planting season. Kuvheya told the Chinhenga community that their vision was to ensure that farmers add value to their yield by ensuring that a certain percentage of their produce is processed on site before they sell it, so that they realise a profit from their hard work. He also indicated that the goal is to eradicate the cycle of poverty in most communities and ensure that people are empowered. Present at the launch were Dr Godfrey Chikowore, IDT board member and Director of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Zimbabwe and other IDT personnel. Before the launch of the project, Headman Marowa spoke at length to The HeOn developmentrald about various issues affecting his area, and the community's response to the IDT project. The excerpts of some of the issues highlighted by Headman Marowa are as follows: On the media I am very grateful that The Herald has visited our area since the media rarely comes to us. We think that your coming is a blessing for our community, and we hope that you will highlight to the nation and our leaders the problems that we are facing. We hope that when you publish the story, you will send us a copy of the newspaper so that the people appreciate the work you are doing. We were resettled in this area more than twenty years ago after Government acquired land for resettlement under the willing seller, willing buyer scheme. There are six hundred and ninety one families under my jurisdiction and each family was allocated 12 hectares of land. Challenges Transport and communication are some of the major challenges faced by people in this area. The dusty road constructed by Government was initially very well constructed but it is now in a bad state since heavy rains destroyed it. One of the bridges along Chinyika River is also too low and it is impassable when it the river flooded and people end up using hand-dug canoes, which are also very dangerous. Thus during the rainy season we are completely cut off. Apart from shortage of drugs, the Clinic though operating is facing serious water shortages since the water engine is broken. However, we are grateful to IDT and the Pastor who told us that they would be going to Zinwa to see if they could replace the engine. On land reform programme As you know, it is very difficult for people to give money to anyone, but people in this area were among the first recipients of the resettlement programme, which the President initiated way back in the mid-eighties, and each family got a piece of land and they are very happy about it. We grow tobacco, maize, rapoko, sunflowers, ground nuts, round nuts and cow peas. As a war veteran, retired and commissioned soldier, I am very loyal to President (Mugabe), and the Party (Zanu-PF), and am very grateful about the land reform programme. Why they do not grow other small grains such as mhunga People of the Nyati totem do not encourage the cultivation of mhunga because our medium spirits do not like mhunga. Also mhunga attracts lots of birds Deforestation Deforestation has become a major problem in this area with farmers indiscriminately cutting down trees, which they use to dry their tobacco crop. We have asked the Zimbabwe Republic Police to intervene and arrest the culprits. However, when we catch them, they are brought before the chief's court where they pay a fine, a goat, which is not deterrent enough. Traditional leaders' powers As traditional leaders, we don't know whether the President (Mugabe) is aware that varidzi venyika tavemo mumatunhu edu. We would like Government, especially our President to recognise traditional leaders in resettlement areas. Since we are not commissioned, sometimes it is very difficult to discipline wayward people. This recognition is important if we have to effectively instill discipline among the youths. As a war veteran it is also my great desire to see President Mugabe commission me in this position before I die. On development This area has plenty of water, and it boasts of three major rivers -- Nyawaro, Chinyika and Nyan'ombe, which do not run dry. Unfortunately, the water is not benefiting the people due to lack of resources for irrigation schemes. We need resources to dam the water so that we can carry out agricultural activities all year round. If this were done, this would be the end of our problems. The Catholic Church proposed the construction of a boarding school (St. Paul's) which, would along the Marist Brothers or Kutama models. Parents have already constructed a toilet. We request Government to assist us, because we feel that the Church alone cannot manage the project since it depends on donor funding. On transportation and state of the roads The road from Chinyika to Rusape is in a very terrible state. We also call upon Government to have the road repaired. Our teachers use the regional offices in Rusape because it is cheaper to go to Rusape and not Headlands. However, the state of the road and serious shortage of transport has forced many of them to leave the area resulting in the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture engaging temporary teachers. However, we wish to thank Government for allocating us a bus whose fares are fairly reasonable. The problem though is that it only operates during weekends, and it is also too small. The whole week there is no transport in the area. This is also a huge area with 16 villages, and it needs bigger buses, with carriers for luggage. If it were possible to exchange, we would be most grateful because the bus is suited to urban areas. The people are also very eager to carry out some market gardening, but they are unable to do so because of lack of transport to ferry their produce to Headlands or Rusape. On current inter-party talks I know about the on-going inter-party talks meant to bring about a coalition government. I have encouraged people in my area that in order to bring about unity, which would result in development, we should be prepared to bury our political differences and work with whoever is our political leader. However, people in leadership positions should also know that they are leaders because of the people, and they should therefore have the people's interests at heart. When you go on the table to negotiate, don't demand. Be prepared to lose and gain. As a war veteran, I tell my people that I went to fight the Rhodesians to liberate all the people of Zimbabwe regardless of their political affiliation. It is also a fallacy to accuse President Mugabe of dictatorship as I have noticed because since 1980, he never banned any political party. Our young crop of politicians from all parties is also very fortunate that for the next five years, they will be working closely with President Mugabe. They should learning from him. For, he is our "dictionary". All of them from both sides should realise that he has been assisting people from other nationalities (mediating), when they could not find solutions to their internal problems. If he had not come together with the opposition to solve the current political and economic challenges, it could not have been good. The President was the first to want dialogue, which is a mark of statesmanship and a commitment to the people of Zimbabwe. Personally, I appreciate what the President did for my family. My son, Tonderai Kunyaya is now in his second year at Fort Hare University where he is studying a degree in communication under the presidential scholarship programme. I wanted to write the President a letter of appreciation, but the problem now is access to reach him. I also want to highlight to the President that competent and retired soldiers are being barred from participating in active politics. I was probably one of the first traditional leaders to be approached by the people to represent them in the rural district council elections in the March 29 elections. The chief had approved and he told me that since it was the people's will, I should go ahead. However, I was not allowed to contest the primary elections. On farming assistance We call upon the Government to distribute farming inputs before October 31. Late distribution seriously affects our yields. When we got some assistance under Operation Maguta, we only got seed in March, well after the start of the farming season, and there was no fertilizer. Very few farmers in Chinyika benefited under the RBZ/Government Farm Mechanisation programme. We had hoped to be allocated tractors and other implements like they did in other areas. However, we are still hopeful since the District Administrator promised us that he would revisit the issue. Appreciation for Pastor Madziturira The pastor saw the challenges that the community is facing, and he managed to bring his friends from IDT, which is now initiating developmental projects for the community. IDT has already paid school fees for all pupils at Chinhenga for both the second and third terms, amounting to $3 008 (revalued). The parents are very happy about this since this lessens their burden under the current economic hardships. I want you to know that when the season is good, they are very hard working farmers and they basically depend on their plots. When all is well, this region is also the breadbasket for Buhera and Bocha districts. When most individuals go away to the cities, they work for themselves and their families. However, the pastor has shown that he is an illustrious son who wants everyone to benefit from his work both pastoral and otherwise. In fact, the biggest commendation goes to his mother, who has opened the community's eyes. Who would have thought that at her age Mbuya Madziturira would extend an olive branch to the orphaned children in our midst? The Herald is a national newspaper. We are humbled that the pastor managed to bring them to us so that they can highlight our plight to the whole nation. Finally, I commend the Zaoga FIF leadership, especially Archbishop Ezekiel Guti who is training his pastors so that they remember their people back home. When the pastor told us that he would bring people who would spearhead self-help developmental projects, we thought that he was lying, while some people thought that these would be people with a political agenda. Thus people were initially skeptical. But since he has come back with the IDT people, and a newspaper reporter, a state-owned newspaper for that matter, I am satisfied that IDT are a genuine organisation. The community has also been reassured that these are not people with a hidden agenda. Rather they are people bringing development and empowerment to our area. The people have welcomed this explanation since they also understood that elections for president, members of parliament and local government are over. Enditem