There is no deliberate design to under-develop Matabeleland: Callistus Ndlovu

NO ONE can be pointed as having conjured up the alleged marginalisation of Matabeleland region, former Cabinet Minister and Zanu-PF Central Committee member Dr Callistus Ndlovu said during the week.

In an interview with Chronicle, Dr Ndlovu , who is now the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Administration and Management (Zipam), said there was no deliberate design to underdevelop the region and anyone who might do that would be short sighted.

"I don't think someone sat down and conjured marginalisation, but if people keep quiet about what is happening in their lives they would be marginalising themselves," said Dr Ndlovu.

He said there was a need for the people from the region to realise that it was high time for them to stand up and do something about their problems.

"Politicians need to come up with realistic solutions rather than just talk. At Government level there is a need to come up with sustainable developmental programmes that can operate even at local authority level," said Dr Ndlovu.

He said the Government has in the past come up with programmes such as the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (Esap) and recently the Mid Term Party (MTP).

"It doesn't matter how good the scheme is, the problem is that there are no monitoring and evaluation schemes to follow up to these plans and I think that is what is limiting their success," said Dr Ndlovu.

At local level, Dr Ndlovu said there was a need for local authorities to embark on joint ventures with the Government or private companies because at the moment they don't have the funds to independently fund their projects.

"Politicians should talk development rather than criticising each other, it is also sad to note that most of the politicians we have want to earn a living from it.

"This scenario results in them manoeuvring to outwit their opponents, which takes most of the time thereby rendering limited services to the people who would have voted them into power and to me that is the politics of poverty," said Dr Ndlovu.

He said he agrees that Matabeleland region had experienced under-development but attributed it to the economic challenges facing the country.

"I agree that Bulawayo has suffered a great deal of under-development in the past 20 years, but it is a result of the economic situation than of any design.

"There is no deliberate design to under-develop this region and anyone who might do that will be a short sighted individual, because doing so will be like allowing a part of an egg to rot while the other part, which is closer to you is protected, in the end the whole egg will rot," said Dr Ndlovu.

He said most people tended to be emotional about the marginalisation debate.

On the development of education in the region, Dr Ndlovu said it was lagging behind for historic reasons.

"Most schools we had in Matabeleland were mission schools who lacked facilities such as laboratories hence the tendency to emphasise literal arts subjects.

"This has created a mindset in our population that sciences were off bounds and we as leaders have ignored and we have not done so deliberately, but due to social inclinations," said Dr Ndlovu.