By Davison Muchadenyika in Buhera
Over the years, something too serious for silence has been happening in Buhera district. The state of infrastructure has been decaying year by year. One needs not emphasize the dire state of rural development in Buhera.
Development planners categorise the district as a special problem region requiring special development solutions.
Yet, the district has produced some prominent politicians in the country. The situation provokes a critical reflection of Members of Parliament that have represented the district since independence.
The story of Hyenas in Buhera district is a story that has been dramatized. It is a story that will remain for quite sometime in people’s minds as well as the August house history. Beneath that story lays deep seated challenges bedevilling Buhera district.
When Hon. Chinotimba made his inaugural speech in parliament, his speech attracted so much hype and criticism mainly on the calibre of parliamentarians we have. People joked and made funny out of him.
As a member of the national assembly, he was trying to put across what Buhera as a district among other fifty-two is facing. Inside Manicaland province, Buhera has deep seated challenges that, we as bonafide products of the district believe are not insurmountable.
Historically Buhera South before the Constituency delineation of 2008 was under the stewardship of the late Kumbirai Kangai. For 28 years we were loyal to Zanu-PF and its ideas. For 28 years we had one Member of Parliament, and for those 28years we have very little to show why we continuously need representation in Buhera.
For all the hero status of Cde Kumbirai Kangai, if we are to take a tour of the constituency he represented for close to three decades, there are more negatives to his legacy than positive developments. The soft spoken man failed us for so long and it took us nearly three decades to realise that he was an affront to our dreams.
The infamous road linking Murambinda Growth Point and Birchenough Bridge is one of the legacies of the late national hero. To say that the road in question is one of the worst roads in Zimbabwe needs no emphasis.
To make matters worse, the name of the late national hero is always mentioned when that road is put under discussion. Nevertheless, that is now history, we the living must take new initiatives for the development our district.
Roads are worse in the district, unmaintained for years, most bridges have since collapsed and residents travel over long distances to access roads that are accessible to vehicular traffic.
The story of hyenas in Buhera is a story that has been dramatized following Hon. Chinotimba’s parliament address but for us it was a turning point. At least we can now sleep in our huts rather than walking the whole night to catch a 2am bus to Harare, Mutare etc.
In 2008, fed up with Zanu-PF representation, Buhera district voted for the MDC in three of the four constituencies. For us, it was a well calculated move; we thought that our much known challenges would be a resolve through MDC representation.
However, some of the MDC MPs could not do anything tangible with Constituency Development Fund. This is an undeniable fact we should put across for record purposes – there were corrupt MDC MPs who abused CDF especially in Buhera district. Despite people still supporting the MDC, there are individuals within that party who are non-transparent and anti-developmental.
In 2013, a new crop of MPs took over the representation of Buhera. Popular among them is Hon. Chinotimba and his parliament address reminds us whether Buhera is indeed on the government agenda or not.
He pointed out ‘sometimes I wonder what type of country Buhera is, in Zimbabwe’ (as quoted in the press). Since we have heard representation in Buhera, Chinotimba is the only MP who has spoken about our development concerns with such rigour and echo.
What we need is Buhera is not a professor or any other miracle man. Our development problems are deep seated and known. We need people who put our challenges on the government agenda. We need to push for that by any means possible.
Chinotimba has already tried his best, but it seems that his colleagues take him for a joke. He is just the voice but what he is putting across is real and haunting our livelihoods day and night.
Sitting under a Mopani tree, in my village deep inside Buhera, the message from fellow natives is clear: We need a government that respond to our plight. Failure to address our concerns means the need to change government.
We are tired of cheap politicking; and we are rebellious to such anti-developmental government.
