Marandellas (now Marondera) was one of the neatest towns in Rhodesia

MDC-T deputy secretary general Tapiwa Mashakada has said Marondera them Marandellas was one of the neatest towns in the country at independence but the Zanu PF government has run down the status of the infrastructure.

"Marandellas (now Marondera) was one of the neatest towns in Zimbabwe. It was a service centre for commercial farmers in the surrounding farming communities such as Virginia, Wedza, Bromley, Melfort, Grasslands, Imire and even Macheke. I am familiar with Marondera having attended high school at Waddilove Institution. Marondera had one of the biggest CSC branches and a busy railway siding," he said.

"But a visit to the town a few months ago showed a completely different picture of a run down place with dusty roads and lanes. Like other cities, Marondera is now a vendors town. But listen to this. President Mugabe was billed to address a rally last Friday. This ignited an unprecedented road repair program. Bitumen company was contracted to resurface almost the whole of Marondera. And in record time Marondera roads were tarred and road signs erected."

He said now visit Marondera and you will get a feeling of Marandellas.

"But the question is: Why did it take President Mugabe's visit to repair the road infrastructure. For me, it tells us something: President Mugabe is hoodwinked by his handlers. He is being shielded from the true picture on the ground. Now he is in New York with a very good impression of a clean and tarred Marondera City. Nay of all the cities. One can excuse him for still thinking that Zimbabwe is the second most developed country in Africa," Mashakada said.