Kezi villagers accuse local leaders of stifling development

VILLAGERS in ward five, Humbana in Kezi district, Matabeleland South province, have blamed their councillor Madalaboy Ndebele and legislator Saul Mahalima Ncube for stifling development by failing to resolve their political differences.

A villager, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the two leaders were always wrangling and in the process derailing development, including drilling of boreholes.

As a result, villagers continue fetching water from a dam which is 6km away after the duo frustrated a well-wisher who had offered to drill a borehole in the area

"Our leaders pull in different directions and this has frustrated possible development partners," he said.

The villager said a certain well-wisher had volunteered to drill boreholes for the community but got frustrated by the discord.

"The fact that they politicise everybody's matters derails progress of projects in the constituency," he said.

But Ndebele denied the allegations saying some of the projects were yet to be done.

"It is all a lie, I do not have any problem with the MP. Why are they saying we do not get along when I have never talked to him in person? The MP has never called public committee hearings. I do not even know whether that committee exists or not," he said.

Ndebele said the well-wisher who promised to drill boreholes in the constituency had not dumped

Ncube demanded questions in writing, but had not yet responded at the time of going to print.