Kariba MP opens up to social media

The House of Assembly member for Kariba constituency, Honourable John Houghton, has joined the social media with a formation of WhatsApp group which is open to all citizens within the Kariba constituency and beyond. He has expressed his willingness to engage his constituency on developmental issues and also admitting that his role is not just a walk on the park.

He has managed to post his first message as follows:

Good evening to you all, another year has gone and a new one has begun. I wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.

My constituents. Parliament is not what I had expected and I can now understand very well why other MPs have been found to be neglecting their constituencies, it is very demanding of my time. I am not complaining, there is no other position I'd rather hold, it is my earnest desire to bring development and prosperity to Kariba, both the town and the rural district and there is no better position for me to be in, in order to achieve that goal.

I have joined two Parliamentary Portfolio Committees,  Environment & Tourism and Lands & Agriculture so that I can work on tourism infrastructural development and rural agriculture.

The committees meet on Monday and Tuesday mornings, Parliament sits on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. On Friday I can travel back to Kariba and enjoy Saturday off, then on Sunday I travel back to Harare. Saturday, the one day I have free is not that free, there is always much to be done.

I don't have a really valid excuse for not having held a feedback meeting in town, it just hasn't worked out yet, but I certainly can't go to even one venue in the rural areas in a Saturday. This platform is intended to give you access to me and for me to keep you informed of whatever is happening in regard to our development issues for Kariba in particular and also other news from Parliament. It is not intended as a general chat or discussion platform.

Already raised is the problem of women being harassed at the border. It is something I can inquire about but you need to provide me with adequate information, is the officer customs, immigration, police, CIO or army and in what way are the women being harassed, and is it only women, are men not also harassed?

Likewise I don't have relevant info regarding the fishermen in Zambian prison - how many fishermen and when were they arrested, also where were they fishing?

With regards to children's playgrounds and healthy family entertainment, there was a new Master Plan prepared for Kariba but it was never implemented. It is now somewhat out of date and I have asked the Mayor to put it on the Council agenda as a matter of urgency. It needs to be revised and presented to Government. The Kariba municipal area is now fully utilised in terms of the old, but still in force, Master Plan. Council is now encroaching on what was designated 'wildlife corridors '. We need more land to be able to invite investors to create a resort area for our town. A new Master Plan is an integral part of the process. Good clean family entertainmentmust also be considered in that Master Plan.

Education is a serious problem. We claim to be a highly literate nation but our young generation's access to good education with up to date facilities is a grave concern. It is nationwide and needs an holistic approach. I would like to say we are working on it but the national budget has been passed, there was not enough money available to allocate for upgrading our education facilities. I am often asked for tertiary learning facilities but they are driven by demand. Perhaps we don't have enough potential students for any one particular subject yet. Such things will come with development,  we need more industry and more demand for skilled workers first.

As you are aware I will be in the rural district for a few days so will be mostly unreachable but after my return I will give feedback on this platform about what I am trying to achieve and my progress in parliament.