'Mugabe, Mnangagwa connived to marginalise Matabeleland,' ZANU-PF leadership admits

Matabeleland South has long endured systemic marginalisation, with local leaders and communities now openly acknowledging decades of development neglect under successive ZANU-PF administrations, led first by the late President Robert Mugabe and now by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Since independence in 1980, the region has been largely excluded from national development plans, leaving residents in remote areas trapped in poverty and isolation. While recent infrastructure projects signal progress, critics argue that the damage inflicted over decades cannot be undone overnight.

The proposed Gwanda-Maphisa-Mphoengs road is being hailed as a long-overdue intervention. Minister of State for Matebeleland South, Albert Nguluvhe, said the road will help dismantle the infrastructure gap that has plagued the region for generations.

"The road will remove the marginalisation of Matabeleland Region in terms of infrastructure development which has existed for a long time. People from these remote communities had to soldier on since time immemorial in their quest to visit the provincial capital for essential services," Nguluvhe said.

He added that the new route will also enhance law enforcement capabilities and improve access ahead of next year's Independence Day celebrations, which will be hosted in Maphisa.

"The establishment of this Gwanda-Maphisa-Mphoengs route was therefore long overdue. It shortens the distance for everyone to access the provincial capital, even responding to fight criminal elements. The capacity and success for law enforcement agencies to maintain and effectively execute law and order was hindered for quite some time."

ZANU PF has also faced criticism for neglecting Bulilima district, which is only now set to receive its first long tarred road - nearly 45 years after independence.

Matebeleland South provincial chairperson Mangaliso Ndlovu indirectly acknowledged the party's failure to develop the district.

"This is where Bulilima and Mangwe districts meet. This is also the province which will be hosting Independence Day celebrations and again, it is the same province where the late Father Zimbabwe was born and came from, which is in Maphisa district," Ndlovu said.

"The road where we are today, which connects Plumtree and Maitengwe all the way up to the border, I was whispering with fellow comrades, telling them that for the first time in our history, Bulilima district gets a long stretch tarred road. This is a great relief that we have been waiting for decades."

Another provincial official, speaking anonymously, claimed the marginalisation was not accidental, but a deliberate exclusion from mainstream development.

The Plumtree-Maitengwe road and the Gwanda-Maphisa-Mphoengs corridor are expected to improve access to essential services and bolster regional law enforcement. However, many in Matebeleland South remain sceptical, viewing these developments as belated gestures rather than genuine transformation.

As President Mnangagwa's administration continues to face scrutiny over its handling of the region's economic development, it remains to be seen whether these infrastructure projects will deliver meaningful change or simply serve as political optics ahead of national celebrations.