Matebeleland leaders urged to work together to develop region

Umzingwane National Assembly member Levy Mayihlome has said there is urgent need for unity among leaders in the Matebeleland region so that there is shared vision on development.

Addressing a meeting of stakeholders for the Bulawayo-Old Gwanda Road construction project on Saturday, Mayihlome warned that future generations would harshly judge the leaders if they fail to transcend political affiliations and work together to uplift their communities.

The reconstruction of Old Gwanda Road is a home-grown solution where locals applied for an unsolicited bid to redevelop the road under a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement. The project, recently approved by Cabinet, will see Zwane Investments investing $150 million into the road construction project. The project has been received with optimism in the region as it is expected to spur economic development while empowering communities.

Mayihlome worked closely with Zwane Investment chief executive officer Engineer Bekithemba Mbambo in engaging relevant Government departments and the project has since been approved.

It is unfortunate that leaders in Matebeleland region, Mayihlome said, are known for bickering instead of spearheading development of communities.

"All minorities in the world are always the best but why is it that as a minority we are always the worst? What is it about us that we cannot do anything together? Few as we are, most of the time we are known for squabbles, we are known for pointing fingers at each other," he said.

"If you are in a different political party others don't even greet you and the only thing that you get is being labelled. Let the future generations learn from us as leaders the importance of being united and having a shared vision."

Mayihlome said as President Mnangagwa always says, its only Zimbabweans that can develop the country, the region's development should be championed by its residents, irrespective of their location.

He called upon the leaders to leave a lasting legacy, one that future generations would be proud of and challenged those with political influence to utilise their power to promote development in Matebeleland.

"What I have been saying and what I need to say is that we need to leave a footprint. We have lived all this time but is there quality in what we have done? If we expect people to come from the other part of the country to develop this region, we are not serious," he said.

Speaking during the same meeting, Zanu-PF politburo member Richard Ndlovu said the Bulawayo-Old Gwanda Road project shows the importance of  working together.

"We now ask ourselves wherever we come from, we need to be visionary and come up with dreams addressing some of our challenges. All in all, everyone coming from Matebeleland needs to contribute to its development. We will be made a laughing stock in the country if we do not champion our own development," said Ndlovu.

He said if similar three or four projects are rolled out in Matebeleland region, it will change its fortunes.

Ndlovu said development is planned and there is a need to support those who initiate development programmes.

He said there are people like him who interact with people who are in strategic positions and have access to the President hence communities should engage such people on issues of development.

"Let's assist each other where there is a problem. The country's President has said he is open for business and he is accessible, we can make appointments. We will knock at the necessary doors and present the ideas that promote development in our area," said Ndlovu.

Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Edgar Moyo said the Bulawayo-Old Gwanda Road construction project should unlock development potential in the region.

"This is evidence of the power of private public partnerships and if we put this philosophy in all the development matrix, I'm sure we are destined for great success.

"A road is an economy, we have heard of tourism, agriculture and mining but all these sectors depend on good road network," said Deputy Minister Moyo.

"In this country, we only have 24 000 boarding school places for a population of 4,8 million learners so there is a gap that needs to be filled by investing in education."

Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni said any project that transforms Matebeleland region will directly benefit the city.

"Bulawayo cannot be Bulawayo if it does not have direct access to outlying districts or if outlying districts do not have access to Bulawayo. Access to Nkayi, Bubi, and Umguza affects us. Access to Umzingwane, Matobo, Tsholotsho and Nyamandlovu will affect us. These outlying districts drive the development of Bulawayo. So we are happy that we are going to have another accessible route to Bulawayo," said Clr Mguni.