News / Regional
Don't be fooled, its election time
11 Jul 2013 at 04:08hrs | Views
The state media today released the third part of a paper on development in Matabeleland by Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Governor Cain Mathema.
In a statement Mathema claims that: "Tsholotsho Town only received ZESA electricity supply lines in 1991 after President Mugabe himself personally directed it to be so." In any case is it not the president's duty to do these things and ideally Tsholotsho and the rest of the country should have received electricity in the early 80s soon after independence not in the 90s.
Below is a list of what the Mugabe led Zanu-PF claims to have achieved in Tsholotsholo since independence.
3. Education.
(a) Number of Schools at Independence.
i) Primary Schools.
At independence Tsholotsho had seventy three (73) primary schools. The oldest primary school in Tsholotsho is Mathe Primary (south-east of Tsholotsho), which was founded in 1910. The second oldest is Dikili Primary built in 1914; followed by Mvundlana Primary which was built in 1916; and then came Tshabanda Primary which was built in 1917. These were all built or founded by different Christian denominations, they therefore were also centres of spreading Christianity among the Africans. The last primary school built before independence is Sipongweni Primary School north of Tsholotsho. It was built in 1973.
ii) Secondary Schools
At independence Tsholotsho had one secondary school, Tsholotsho Secondary, now Tsholotsho High. It was commissioned in 1977, and it was an F2 school. It is about 2km south-west of Tsholotsho Town.
At independence therefore Tsholotsho had a total of 74 schools, only one of which was a secondary school.
(b) Schools Built After Independence.
(i) Primary Schools.
After independence 10 primary schools were commisssioned in Tsholotsho. In 1981 saw three (3) schools being commissioned and these were Jakalasi Primary, Mtshayeli Primary and Nata Primary.
1982 also saw three (3) primary schools being commissioned, and these were Dogwe Primary, Madabu Primary and Mazibisa Primary. Then came St Joseph's Primary and Thetshaneni Primary in 2001. After that came Sydney Malunga Primary in 2004 and Horton Primary in 2006.
These ten (10) primary schools translate to one primary school per 13 000 people if we use the December 2010 Tsholotsho population figures.
(ii) Secondary Schools
After independence twenty-three (23) Secondary schools were commissioned. In 1981 saw three (3) secondary schools commissioned, and these were Bhubhude Secondary, Dikili High, and Sipepa High. In 1984 seven secondary schools were commissioned, these were Dinyane High, Dlamini High, Kapane Secondary, Khumbula High, Mpanedziba Secondary, Nemane (SDA) High, and Tshabanda High.
In 1985 two (2) secondary schools were commissioned, and these were Jimila Secondary and Samahuru Secondary. Only one (1) secondary school was built in 1986 and this was Tshitatshawa Secondary. In 1988 four (4) secondary schools were commissioned, and these were Dibutibu Secondary, Mavela Secondary, Sikente Secondary and Zibungululu Secondary.
Only one secondary school was commissioned in 2001, and this was Mathula Secondary. 2005 gave us three (3) secondary schools which were Mate Secondary, Magama Secondary and Nembe Secondary. In 2006 only Manqe Secondary School was commissioned, and this was built by Dr John Landa Nkomo who was one of the two Vice-Presidents of the Republic of Zimbabwe and one of the two Vice- Presidents and second secretaries of Zanu-PF. The last secondary school was commissioned in 2009, and that is Ngamo Secondary School.
On average therefore up to 2009 (that is, in a period of twenty nine years) Tsholotsho district almost saw one secondary school being built per year, mathematically the figure is 0,8 of a secondary school was built per year between 1980 and 2009.
The 23 secondary schools translate to one secondary school per 5 635 people in Tsholotsho if we use the December 2010 Tsholotsho population figure of 129 597.
As we have seen , seven of the twenty three secondary schools are high schools, that is, they have "A" levels as well . There was no "A" level school in Tsholotsho before independence, only an F2 secondary school was there.
(c) Schools with Electricity at Independence
At independence the whole of Tsholotsho did not have ZESA electricity supplies. Therefore, there was no school with electricity. Tsholotsho Town (or centre) only received ZESA electricity supply lines in 1991 after President Mugabe himself personally directed it to be so.
(d) Schools that have ZESA electricity supplies connected or close By
Since 1991, ZESA electricity lines are now found at Nkunzi, Tshabanda, Tshefunye, Sipepa, Mbamba, Dikili, Dinyane, Mhlabangubo, Chief Gampu's village, Magama, Mvundlana, Nhlangano, Mcetshwa, Sawudweni, Mathuphula, Tshino, Madona, Mathe, Dombo, Nembe , Mkhubazi, Zibungululu, Mathe, Mbalibali, Bhubhude, Mbuthe and Manqe.
What this means is that all the schools at or near these places or centres either are already connected to ZESA or can be connected depending on whether they have completed the necessary tubing of their classrooms, laboratories or teachers' cottages.
Such schools include the following primary schools: Mvundlana Primary, Dombo Primary, Nembe Primary, Mkhubazi Primary, Sipepa Primary, Mcetshwa Primary, Magama Primary, Mahlaba Primary, Gwaai Primary, Sipongweni Primary, Mhlabangubo Primary, Dinyane Primary, Matshudula Primary, Soluswe Primary, Mbalibali Primary, Nhlangano Primary, Mathe Primary, Tshabanda Primary, Tshefunye Primary, Dikili Primary and Manqe Primary. All in all we are talking about twenty one (21) primary schools, that is a quarter of the primary schools in Tsholotsho.
The secondary schools are:- Tsholotsho High, Mavela Secondary, Bhubhude Secondary, Dikili High, Dinyane High, Mathe Secondary, Manqe Secondary, Zibungululu Secondary, Magama Secondary, Nembe Secondary, Sipepa High and Tshabanda High. This is a total of twelve (12) secondary schools, that is, more than half the secondary schools in the whole district.
(e) Schools with Laboratories
Tsholotsho High has two laboratories, one for "O" level science, and one for "A" level science. These laboratories were built and equipped through my assistance when I was the Member of Parliament from 1995 to 2000 when Mr. Pedzisa was the school head.
Mavela secondary has an "O" level science laboratory. Again this laboratory was built through my assistance when I was Tsholotsho MP. Miss Siziba was the school head, she still is. Sipepa High is another school with a science laboratory.
(a) Schools with Computers.
There were no computers in any school in Tsholotsho at independence; in any case, there was no ZESA electricity in Tsholotsho before independence. The first school to have computers in Tsholotsho was Tsholotsho High. I sourced the computers from the Belgian Embassy when I was still the local MP with Mr Pedzisa as the school head.
Now many more secondary schools have computers, all of them donated by President Robert Mugabe. The schools are Bhubhude, Dikili, Dinyane, Dlamini, Kapane, Mathe, Sikente, Sipepa, Tshabanda, Khumbula, Magama and Mavela. In other words, thirteen (13), or 57 percent, of the secondary schools in Tsholotsho have computers.
(b) Relations with universities and other institutions of tertiary education
Because of the seven high schools in Tsholotsho, Tsholotsho district is now also a catchment area for universities all over Zimbabwe, but specifically for the universities in the Matabeleland region, that is, closer to home. The universities and other institutions that offer degree educational training in Matabeleland are the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), the Lupane State University (LSU), Solusi University, the Bulawayo Polytechnic and the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). NUST, LSU, the Bulawayo Poly and ZOU, as we all know, are state universities and colleges, they belong to the government of Zimbabwe, they are national property therefore. Solusi University belongs to the Seventh Adventist Church (SDA), my mother's church. Like all universities, Solusi could not be founded or built without authority from the government of Zimbabwe, it is the government that granted the SDAs the charter to start a university, in a little way I assisted Professor Norman Maphosa and the church in them being granted the charter, I was still Deputy Secretary to the late Vice President, Dr Joshua Nkomo, then. In other words, Solusi University too is our university even if the headquarters of its church are in the United States of America; and it is our national asset even if it is not a state university, after all, we all created it through our national government in Harare led by President Robert Mugabe.
Again, because of the high schools in Tsholotsho, Tsholotsho is also a catchment area for universities outside the country, these universities include UNISA.
But it is not only universities that take Tsholotsho "A" level graduates. Other tertiary institutions too locally and abroad take these graduates. Such institutions in Matabeleland alone include the Bulawayo Polytechnic, the School of Hospitality in Bulawayo, and Hillside Teachers' College. And Tsholotsho "A" level graduates can qualify to enter any other local university or institution that offers degrees or any other course that require "A" and "O" level passes.
Let us remember that the "A" level schools in Tsholotsho also offer places for Tsholotsho's "O" level graduates to further their academic studies.
Tsholotsho's secondary schools are also a catchment area for schools outside Tsholotsho that offer "A" level studies. In addition, the schools are also catchment centres for tertiary institutions, like nurses training schools, polytechnics and teachers' training colleges. The schools produce graduates that receive technical training at private companies, and parastatals, the School of Mines, government departments, and local authorities, etc.
(c) NGOs and the development of infrastructure at schools in Tsholotsho
Since independence quite a number of NGOs have assisted in the construction of new classroom blocks, toilets, administration blocks and staff quarters. One example of such an NGO is Plan International that has assisted schools all the way from Nkunzi in to the interior of Tsholotsho. Again these NGOs could not do this very good work without government approval; they were assisting the government of Zimbabwe, and they were first approved and registered by the government for them to operate or offer their services to the people.
4. Health services.
(a) Hospitals and Clinics
(d) Clinics
At independence there were only three clinics in Tsholotsho. These were Kunzi Rural Health Centre commissioned in 1971 (a council clinic); Madlangombe Rural Health Centre commissioned in 1974 (a council clinic); and Dlamini Rural Health Centre commissioned in 1974 (yet another council clinic).
(ii) Hospitals
When independence finally came in April 1980, Tsholotsho had three hospitals. These were Tsholotsho Rural Hospital (a government hospital commissioned in 1925); Sipepa Rural Hospital (a government hospital which was originally a clinic until 1958); and Phumula Mission Hospital (a Brethren In Christ Church hospital commissioned in 1957).
In other words, at independence Tsholotsho had only six (6) health centres.
(b) Hospitals and Clinics after independence
(i) Clinics
In 1984 Jimila Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) was commissioned. 1985 saw Sodaka Rural Health Centre (a council clinic), Mlagisa Rural Health Centre (a council clinic), and Makhaza Rural Health Centre (a Council clinic) being commissioned.
The next clinic to be built was Mtshayeli Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) which was commissioned in 1988. I assisted in having the clinic connected to PTC telephone lines. In 1991 Bhubhude Rural Health Centre (a council clinic ) was commissioned. Then came in 2000 Kapane Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) was commissioned; as MP I assisted in the completion of the building of the clinic and in connecting it to the PTC telephone lines, it was connected at the same time as Mtshayeli clinic from Sipepa Business Centre. In 1998 Tsholotsho Urban clinic was commissioned. I assisted in the construction of this clinic as the local MP. This is a council clinic.
In 2001 Sikente Rural Health Centre and Mpanedziba Rural Health Centre (both council clinics) were commissioned. As MP I assisted in the construction of the two clinics as well as in the acquisition of the water engines and the design and laying of the piped water schemes for the two clinics. The water scheme at Sikente clinic also benefited Sikente primary School, the borehole was at the school grounds, not very far from the headmaster's offices, Artwell Mabhena from Magama/Ngqoya village was the headmaster at the time.
In 2009 Bemba Rural Health Centre was commissioned. This is yet another council clinic. As MP I actually assisted in the digging of the clinic foundation, and together with ZINWA designed the piped system from across the Bemba-Sodaka-Tsholotsho road, the system was supposed to serve Bemba Primary School and the Bemba homesteads and those of other neighbouring villages.
The following clinics are yet to be commissioned: (a) Tshefunye Rural Health Centre ( some of the initial building materials, including bricks, for the clinics were sourced through my assistance as Tsholotsho MP; this is a council clinic; (b) Samawuru Rural Health Centre (built by the Seventh Day Adventist Church); I also assisted the clinic as well as Samawuru Primary School with the piped water scheme whose borehole was at the school's grounds and (c) Shaba Rural Health Centre, a council clinic, I also worked quite a bit for this clinic to be built together with the then ward councillor, Cde Mnkandla, was the district Zanu-PF Chair of the main wing at the time, Mrs Khumalo, the clinic is in fact going to be commissioned by Minister Sithembiso Nyoni on the 23 March 2011 at 10:00 am; Mrs Khumalo and I working with the Ward 16 people and people across the Manzamanyama River on the Plumtree side, led by ZINWA engineers and planners, we pegged and designed the Shaba dam (with a wall 20m high and water going upstream up to fourteen kilometres) to supply water to the communities, clinics, school and business centres in ward 16 and in the neighbouring wards.
By March 2011 Tshitatshawa Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) was at window level. The community together with me as the MP pushed hard for this clinic to be constructed at the business centre very near the primary and secondary schools, we worked together with then primary and secondary school heads, the secondary head then was Sicelo Mazibisa who now heads Tsholotsho High.
As we can see, fifteen of the twenty–one (21), or 71 percent, hospitals and clinics in Tsholotsho were built and commissioned after independence, in other words, they were built by the government of Prime Minister and President Robert Mugabe, we should not forget that local authorities are only a wing of central government which decentralises some of its functions through local authorities. Let us remember that even the NGOs (which include churches) and foreign embassies have assisted communities in Zimbabwe, and in Tsholotsho in particularly, because the government has approved the assistance as it falls within government plans, nothing happens in Zimbabwe without being part of government plans, except if it is illegal, like the illegal economic sanctions imposed on the country by the West and illegal activities of some NGOs (like all those NGOs talking tribalism in Matabeleland).
Even assistance from embassies , is the assistance to the government of Zimbabwe first and foremost, this assistance never used to be there before independence anyway, the independence government, Prime Minister and President Mugabe's government therefore, created the environment for the embassies to assist the communities. In fact the embassies assist the communities only because they are implementing government policies and plans, except when the embassies engage in illegal activities like forming and funding the MDC and many other NGOs that purport to be assisting the people when, in fact, their activities are meant to convince the people to remove President Mugabe and Zanu-PF from power.
(ii) Hospitals
There is no new hospital that has been built in Tsholotsho since independence.
However, Tsholotsho Rural Hospital has been upgraded to a district hospital, in other words more construction works took place at the hospital after independence for it to have more wards for it to be rural district hospital.
In addition, Tsholotsho District now has a Nurse Training School which was commissioned in Tsholotsho when I was still MP, I did my bit for the school to be established in Tsholotsho. This is a government school based at Tsholotsho District Hospital.
Needless to say, there was no district hospital in Tsholotsho before independence; neither did we have a Nurse Training School before 18th April 1980 in Tsholotsho.
(iii) Blair Toilets.
The advent of independence saw thousands upon thousands of Blair Toilets being built all over the country, and Tsholotsho was not left behind. Each homestead saw itself building a Blair toilet, some of them with the assistance of NGOs. The Blair toilet programme was part of a government health programme to reduce the spread of communicable diseases in the country. But it also got rid of the embarrassing practice of people using the bush to relieve themselves, this was the norm for Africans in the rural areas in Rhodesia.
(c) Health centre with electricity
Both Tsholotsho Hospital and the Tsholotsho Urban Clinic have electricity as they are connected to ZESA electric lines.
The other health centres that are connected to ZESA are Sipepa Rural Hospital, Bhubhude Rural Health Centre and Nkunzi Rural Health Centre. At one time Jimila Rural Health Centre had a small solar electricity facility which I commissioned when I was MP.
5. Transport and roads
Before independence there was only one tarred road in Tsholotsho, the single lane Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, and only twenty – four kilometres of that road is in Tsholotsho any way. When I became Tsholotsho MP, we pushed for the widening of this road so that it became a double-lane tarred road. The government of Zimbabwe agreed to do that. So far only five kilometres from Tsholotsho town have been done, this has been so thanks to the illegal Western and MDC sanctions imposed on the country during the past ten years to force the people of Tsholotsho to suffer so that they end up blaming President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for doing little for them in Tsholotsho and in Matabeleland – the West and the MDC are telling the people of Tsholotsho something like: "We will make you suffer in order for you to vote Mugabe out of power!"
We also pushed for the Tsholotsho-Lupane road to be tarred as a double-lane road. The government agreed to this, and it started the works on this road in the late 1990s when I was still MP. The road now has been tarred up to about thirty kilometres before it connects with the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road. Again the illegal sanctions of the West and the MDC have delayed its completion.
We also pushed for the tarring of the Tsholotsho – Plumtree and Tshefunye-Solusi roads. The Tshefunye-Solusi road has been done, we are still left with Tsholotsho-Plumtree road ,again the delay is because of the illegal sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport repairs its roads in Tsholotsho -roads like the Tsholotsho-Plumtree road, Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, Tsholotsho-Dlamini-Sodaka road and the Tsholotsho-Mtshayeli road. Before the imposition of the illegal sanctions, this was done every year. But not any more.
Were it not for the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the MDC and its Western creators and handlers, all the roads that the government agreed and planned for them to be tarred would have been tarred by now if we were to go by what happened when the Tsholotsho-Lupane and the Tshefunye-Solusi roads were tarred.
The District Development Fund (DDF) also maintained its own roads, however because of the illegal sanctions its activities in Tsholotsho have been reduced in the last ten years.
5. Transport and Roads
Before independence there was only one tarred road in Tsholotsho, the single lane Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, and only twenty-four kilometres of that road is in Tsholotsho any way. When I became Tsholotsho MP, we pushed for the widening of this road so that it became a double-lane tarred road. The government of Zimbabwe agreed to do that. So far only five kilometres from Tsholotsho town have been done, this has been so thanks to the illegal Western and MDC sanctions imposed on the country during the past ten years to force the people of Tsholotsho to suffer so that they end up blaming President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for doing little for them in Tsholotsho and in Matabeleland – the West and the MDC are telling the people of Tsholotsho something like: "We will make you suffer in order for you to vote Mugabe out of power!"
We also pushed for the Tsholotsho-Lupane road to be tarred as a double-lane road. The government agreed to this, and it started the works on this road in the late 1990s when I was still MP. The road now has been tarred up to about thirty kilometres before it connects with the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road. Again the illegal sanctions of the West and the MDC have delayed its completion.
We also pushed for the tarring of the Tsholotsho – Plumtree and Tshefunye-Solusi roads. The Tshefunye-Solusi road has been done, we are still left with Tsholotsho-Plumtree road ,again the delay is because of the illegal sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport repairs its roads in Tsholotsho ' roads like the Tsholotsho-Plumtree road, Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, Tsholotsho-Dlamini-Sodaka road and the Tsholotsho-Mtshayeli road. Before the imposition of the illegal sanctions, this was done every year. But not any more.
Were it not for the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the MDC and its Western creators and handlers, all the roads that the government agreed and planned for them to be tarred would have been tarred by now if we were to go by what happened when the Tsholotsho-Lupane and the Tshefunye-Solusi roads were tarred.
The District Development Fund (DDF) also maintained its own roads, however because of the illegal sanctions its activities in Tsholotsho have been reduced in the last ten years.
6. Water and Irrigation.
As we said earlier on, Tsholotsho is a very dry district of very sandy soils generally with only two big rivers, the Gwayi River along the length and breadth of the eastern boundary, and the Manzamnyama (Nata) River along its southern boundary. The district has very few streams, most of it is flat land full of flares, ponds and swamps whose water, when there are good rains, eventually flows into either the Gwayi River or the Manzamnyama River whose water disappears into the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, and the Gwayi River is a tributary of the Zambezi River.
In spite of having the two big rivers on its borders, no dam was ever built in Tsholotsho by the colonial powers across these rivers. The major water works ever done in Tsholotsho before independence was the Gariya Canal from Manzamnyama carrying water into Gariya dam, (also built before independence), and the canal off Manzamnyama River near Sikente that takes water through swamps and ponds to the dam near Samahuru.
There also used to be two weirs across the Nzombani stream at Sipepa. The Sipepa one was filled with sand a long time ago, whilst the Mkhethwa one was swept away by water many years ago.
Household and livestock water before independence used to be provided by the African Development Fund (ADF), which is now District Development Fund (DDF). The ADF sunk boreholes at villages and built the few weirs in the district as well as the Gariya water scheme. There was no single piped water scheme for the villagers then. Piped water was provided however for the two hospitals and the houses of the white officers in Tsholotsho Town, but still borehole water.
DDF continued with what the ADF had been doing. More boreholes were drilled after independence and, therefore, more water became available for the people. But because of the illegal Western and MDC sanctions imposed on the country, DDF's activities on the provision of water and maintenance of boreholes and weirs have also been reduced tremendously.
When I became MP, the government, through the Department of Water Development (DWD), now the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), agreed to revive the idea of constructing a dam at the confluence of the Gwayi and Khami Rivers to serve both the Tsholotsho and Mguza districts, the plans for this dam had been done some time back. ZINWA also went and designed a dam at the confluence of the Gwayi and Mguza rivers. I actually took officials of a Russian company to the dam site. The Russians had shown interest in constructing the dam.
I asked ZINWA and the government after a request from the villagers for the construction of Shaba dam on the Manzamnyama River. As said earlier, I together with the villagers and ZINWA pegged the dam site, after ZINWA designed it. As the reader reads these words, there is a company formed by local Shaba young professional people who are in the middle of discussions with ZINWA for them to fund the construction of the dam on a Built-Operate-And-Transfer (BAT) basis.
After being requested by the Nanda villagers and their councillor, I took ZINWA officials (at the time the provincial head was Engineer Allan Sibanda) to the point where Nanda dam on the Manzamnyama River could be constructed. ZINWA designed a sand abstraction scheme at the point as well as the dam. The scheme will supply a near-by irrigation scheme, Nanda Primary school, Nanda Business Centre and the villagers' homes and livestock.
ZINWA redesigned the Sipepa water weir as well as the Mkhethwa weir with a view to rebuilding the weirs. At Mbamba ZINWA designed and laid a metred piped water scheme which is still operational today. It did the same at Dinyane and Sipepa. In other words, Mbamba, Dinyane and Sipepa actually have metered water for the villagers, schools, hospital and the business centres. The three schemes are still operational.
In Tsholotsho Town itself, ZINWA built the largest concrete water reservoirs (one has a capacity to hold 500 000 litres and the other 250 000 litres of water) to service Tsholotsho Town through a metred piped water scheme. The water comes from the Gwayi River by sand abstraction at the Lukukwe-Lupinde ZINWA water works; the scheme also supplies water to some homesteads at Madona and Tshaka villages.
To augment the Tsholotsho water supply ZINWA, through my request, built a five metre high weir at the Lukukwe-Lupinde ZINWA water works. Part of the original plan for the weir was to also supply water to all the Manqe/Bhule villages, the idea was to prevent children's teeth from going brown because of salty water. I worked with Tsholotsho District Hospital on this project. As a result, ZINWA designed a 15 kilometre pipeline from the weir to Manqe/Bhule and pegged all the homesteads at the Manqe/Bhule villages.
At my request ZINWA designed piped and metred water schemes for Mbuthe, Mvundlana, Madona, Dombo, Tshaka and Manzimahle villages to be supplied by the Lukukwe-Lupinde water works. I presented the plans for these schemes to Headman Tshaka Charles Mazibisa at a villagers' meeting at Muvundlana Primary School more than four years ago, but the plans had been drawn when I was still MP at the request of the villagers and the schools. But then the illegal sanctions were thrown on the country's shoulders by the West and the MDC.
At my request ZINWA also designed and laid the pipes for the Dlamini piped and metred water scheme. As a result, the whole of Dlamini Business Centre and the nearby village have water pipes below the surface, in fact VillageHead Dlamini was the first to install a water tap at his homestead. Unfortunately, the scheme has never been operational because of the illegal sanctions that stopped the funds required for the scheme; and the village head is still waiting, even in his old age.
ZINWA designed yet another metered water schemefrom Gwayi Siding up to Mlagisa (Dibutibu) Business Centre for all the villages, schools and the clinic right up to there. From that scheme ZINWA designed other metered water schemes for such places as Mpindo, Ngamo, Ziga, Kapanyana, Kapane, Mlevu, Phelela, Mpilo, Mpanedziba and Tshibizina. This had never been done before independence.
ZINWA also designed and developed the Mhlabangubo Eluhlaza irrigation scheme with funds from a Germany NGO.
The borehole was sited and drilled by ZINWA which constructed the water reservoir and laid the pipes for the scheme. The Irrigation Departrment in the Ministry of Agriculture is currently working to revive this scheme, with Irrigation Engineer Thubelihle Thebe working tirelessly with the villagers there, the villagers are led by Mike Ntutha.
The same happened at Moyeni where we started a new irrigation sheme with pipes covering the whole garden, with a new engine. This was funded through the British Embassy.
The Sawudweni community was lucky as a new weir was built through an NGO for livestock water. The Shaba irrigation project also received a new water engine.
At Sipepa a canal irrigation scheme was constructed near the business centre through the NGO Ehlekwini in the 1980s. Help-Age also drilled boreholes at many places in Tsholotsho for instance at Mbuthe village. Plan International and many other NGOs have done the same all over Tsholotsho, all done as part of government and Tsholotsho council plans for the district.
Tsholotsho now also boasts of a Grain Marketing Board depot, there never used to be one before independence.
In a statement Mathema claims that: "Tsholotsho Town only received ZESA electricity supply lines in 1991 after President Mugabe himself personally directed it to be so." In any case is it not the president's duty to do these things and ideally Tsholotsho and the rest of the country should have received electricity in the early 80s soon after independence not in the 90s.
Below is a list of what the Mugabe led Zanu-PF claims to have achieved in Tsholotsholo since independence.
3. Education.
(a) Number of Schools at Independence.
i) Primary Schools.
At independence Tsholotsho had seventy three (73) primary schools. The oldest primary school in Tsholotsho is Mathe Primary (south-east of Tsholotsho), which was founded in 1910. The second oldest is Dikili Primary built in 1914; followed by Mvundlana Primary which was built in 1916; and then came Tshabanda Primary which was built in 1917. These were all built or founded by different Christian denominations, they therefore were also centres of spreading Christianity among the Africans. The last primary school built before independence is Sipongweni Primary School north of Tsholotsho. It was built in 1973.
ii) Secondary Schools
At independence Tsholotsho had one secondary school, Tsholotsho Secondary, now Tsholotsho High. It was commissioned in 1977, and it was an F2 school. It is about 2km south-west of Tsholotsho Town.
At independence therefore Tsholotsho had a total of 74 schools, only one of which was a secondary school.
(b) Schools Built After Independence.
(i) Primary Schools.
After independence 10 primary schools were commisssioned in Tsholotsho. In 1981 saw three (3) schools being commissioned and these were Jakalasi Primary, Mtshayeli Primary and Nata Primary.
1982 also saw three (3) primary schools being commissioned, and these were Dogwe Primary, Madabu Primary and Mazibisa Primary. Then came St Joseph's Primary and Thetshaneni Primary in 2001. After that came Sydney Malunga Primary in 2004 and Horton Primary in 2006.
These ten (10) primary schools translate to one primary school per 13 000 people if we use the December 2010 Tsholotsho population figures.
(ii) Secondary Schools
After independence twenty-three (23) Secondary schools were commissioned. In 1981 saw three (3) secondary schools commissioned, and these were Bhubhude Secondary, Dikili High, and Sipepa High. In 1984 seven secondary schools were commissioned, these were Dinyane High, Dlamini High, Kapane Secondary, Khumbula High, Mpanedziba Secondary, Nemane (SDA) High, and Tshabanda High.
In 1985 two (2) secondary schools were commissioned, and these were Jimila Secondary and Samahuru Secondary. Only one (1) secondary school was built in 1986 and this was Tshitatshawa Secondary. In 1988 four (4) secondary schools were commissioned, and these were Dibutibu Secondary, Mavela Secondary, Sikente Secondary and Zibungululu Secondary.
Only one secondary school was commissioned in 2001, and this was Mathula Secondary. 2005 gave us three (3) secondary schools which were Mate Secondary, Magama Secondary and Nembe Secondary. In 2006 only Manqe Secondary School was commissioned, and this was built by Dr John Landa Nkomo who was one of the two Vice-Presidents of the Republic of Zimbabwe and one of the two Vice- Presidents and second secretaries of Zanu-PF. The last secondary school was commissioned in 2009, and that is Ngamo Secondary School.
On average therefore up to 2009 (that is, in a period of twenty nine years) Tsholotsho district almost saw one secondary school being built per year, mathematically the figure is 0,8 of a secondary school was built per year between 1980 and 2009.
The 23 secondary schools translate to one secondary school per 5 635 people in Tsholotsho if we use the December 2010 Tsholotsho population figure of 129 597.
As we have seen , seven of the twenty three secondary schools are high schools, that is, they have "A" levels as well . There was no "A" level school in Tsholotsho before independence, only an F2 secondary school was there.
(c) Schools with Electricity at Independence
At independence the whole of Tsholotsho did not have ZESA electricity supplies. Therefore, there was no school with electricity. Tsholotsho Town (or centre) only received ZESA electricity supply lines in 1991 after President Mugabe himself personally directed it to be so.
(d) Schools that have ZESA electricity supplies connected or close By
Since 1991, ZESA electricity lines are now found at Nkunzi, Tshabanda, Tshefunye, Sipepa, Mbamba, Dikili, Dinyane, Mhlabangubo, Chief Gampu's village, Magama, Mvundlana, Nhlangano, Mcetshwa, Sawudweni, Mathuphula, Tshino, Madona, Mathe, Dombo, Nembe , Mkhubazi, Zibungululu, Mathe, Mbalibali, Bhubhude, Mbuthe and Manqe.
What this means is that all the schools at or near these places or centres either are already connected to ZESA or can be connected depending on whether they have completed the necessary tubing of their classrooms, laboratories or teachers' cottages.
Such schools include the following primary schools: Mvundlana Primary, Dombo Primary, Nembe Primary, Mkhubazi Primary, Sipepa Primary, Mcetshwa Primary, Magama Primary, Mahlaba Primary, Gwaai Primary, Sipongweni Primary, Mhlabangubo Primary, Dinyane Primary, Matshudula Primary, Soluswe Primary, Mbalibali Primary, Nhlangano Primary, Mathe Primary, Tshabanda Primary, Tshefunye Primary, Dikili Primary and Manqe Primary. All in all we are talking about twenty one (21) primary schools, that is a quarter of the primary schools in Tsholotsho.
The secondary schools are:- Tsholotsho High, Mavela Secondary, Bhubhude Secondary, Dikili High, Dinyane High, Mathe Secondary, Manqe Secondary, Zibungululu Secondary, Magama Secondary, Nembe Secondary, Sipepa High and Tshabanda High. This is a total of twelve (12) secondary schools, that is, more than half the secondary schools in the whole district.
(e) Schools with Laboratories
Tsholotsho High has two laboratories, one for "O" level science, and one for "A" level science. These laboratories were built and equipped through my assistance when I was the Member of Parliament from 1995 to 2000 when Mr. Pedzisa was the school head.
Mavela secondary has an "O" level science laboratory. Again this laboratory was built through my assistance when I was Tsholotsho MP. Miss Siziba was the school head, she still is. Sipepa High is another school with a science laboratory.
(a) Schools with Computers.
There were no computers in any school in Tsholotsho at independence; in any case, there was no ZESA electricity in Tsholotsho before independence. The first school to have computers in Tsholotsho was Tsholotsho High. I sourced the computers from the Belgian Embassy when I was still the local MP with Mr Pedzisa as the school head.
Now many more secondary schools have computers, all of them donated by President Robert Mugabe. The schools are Bhubhude, Dikili, Dinyane, Dlamini, Kapane, Mathe, Sikente, Sipepa, Tshabanda, Khumbula, Magama and Mavela. In other words, thirteen (13), or 57 percent, of the secondary schools in Tsholotsho have computers.
(b) Relations with universities and other institutions of tertiary education
Because of the seven high schools in Tsholotsho, Tsholotsho district is now also a catchment area for universities all over Zimbabwe, but specifically for the universities in the Matabeleland region, that is, closer to home. The universities and other institutions that offer degree educational training in Matabeleland are the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), the Lupane State University (LSU), Solusi University, the Bulawayo Polytechnic and the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). NUST, LSU, the Bulawayo Poly and ZOU, as we all know, are state universities and colleges, they belong to the government of Zimbabwe, they are national property therefore. Solusi University belongs to the Seventh Adventist Church (SDA), my mother's church. Like all universities, Solusi could not be founded or built without authority from the government of Zimbabwe, it is the government that granted the SDAs the charter to start a university, in a little way I assisted Professor Norman Maphosa and the church in them being granted the charter, I was still Deputy Secretary to the late Vice President, Dr Joshua Nkomo, then. In other words, Solusi University too is our university even if the headquarters of its church are in the United States of America; and it is our national asset even if it is not a state university, after all, we all created it through our national government in Harare led by President Robert Mugabe.
Again, because of the high schools in Tsholotsho, Tsholotsho is also a catchment area for universities outside the country, these universities include UNISA.
But it is not only universities that take Tsholotsho "A" level graduates. Other tertiary institutions too locally and abroad take these graduates. Such institutions in Matabeleland alone include the Bulawayo Polytechnic, the School of Hospitality in Bulawayo, and Hillside Teachers' College. And Tsholotsho "A" level graduates can qualify to enter any other local university or institution that offers degrees or any other course that require "A" and "O" level passes.
Let us remember that the "A" level schools in Tsholotsho also offer places for Tsholotsho's "O" level graduates to further their academic studies.
Tsholotsho's secondary schools are also a catchment area for schools outside Tsholotsho that offer "A" level studies. In addition, the schools are also catchment centres for tertiary institutions, like nurses training schools, polytechnics and teachers' training colleges. The schools produce graduates that receive technical training at private companies, and parastatals, the School of Mines, government departments, and local authorities, etc.
(c) NGOs and the development of infrastructure at schools in Tsholotsho
Since independence quite a number of NGOs have assisted in the construction of new classroom blocks, toilets, administration blocks and staff quarters. One example of such an NGO is Plan International that has assisted schools all the way from Nkunzi in to the interior of Tsholotsho. Again these NGOs could not do this very good work without government approval; they were assisting the government of Zimbabwe, and they were first approved and registered by the government for them to operate or offer their services to the people.
4. Health services.
(a) Hospitals and Clinics
(d) Clinics
At independence there were only three clinics in Tsholotsho. These were Kunzi Rural Health Centre commissioned in 1971 (a council clinic); Madlangombe Rural Health Centre commissioned in 1974 (a council clinic); and Dlamini Rural Health Centre commissioned in 1974 (yet another council clinic).
(ii) Hospitals
When independence finally came in April 1980, Tsholotsho had three hospitals. These were Tsholotsho Rural Hospital (a government hospital commissioned in 1925); Sipepa Rural Hospital (a government hospital which was originally a clinic until 1958); and Phumula Mission Hospital (a Brethren In Christ Church hospital commissioned in 1957).
In other words, at independence Tsholotsho had only six (6) health centres.
(b) Hospitals and Clinics after independence
(i) Clinics
In 1984 Jimila Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) was commissioned. 1985 saw Sodaka Rural Health Centre (a council clinic), Mlagisa Rural Health Centre (a council clinic), and Makhaza Rural Health Centre (a Council clinic) being commissioned.
The next clinic to be built was Mtshayeli Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) which was commissioned in 1988. I assisted in having the clinic connected to PTC telephone lines. In 1991 Bhubhude Rural Health Centre (a council clinic ) was commissioned. Then came in 2000 Kapane Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) was commissioned; as MP I assisted in the completion of the building of the clinic and in connecting it to the PTC telephone lines, it was connected at the same time as Mtshayeli clinic from Sipepa Business Centre. In 1998 Tsholotsho Urban clinic was commissioned. I assisted in the construction of this clinic as the local MP. This is a council clinic.
In 2001 Sikente Rural Health Centre and Mpanedziba Rural Health Centre (both council clinics) were commissioned. As MP I assisted in the construction of the two clinics as well as in the acquisition of the water engines and the design and laying of the piped water schemes for the two clinics. The water scheme at Sikente clinic also benefited Sikente primary School, the borehole was at the school grounds, not very far from the headmaster's offices, Artwell Mabhena from Magama/Ngqoya village was the headmaster at the time.
In 2009 Bemba Rural Health Centre was commissioned. This is yet another council clinic. As MP I actually assisted in the digging of the clinic foundation, and together with ZINWA designed the piped system from across the Bemba-Sodaka-Tsholotsho road, the system was supposed to serve Bemba Primary School and the Bemba homesteads and those of other neighbouring villages.
The following clinics are yet to be commissioned: (a) Tshefunye Rural Health Centre ( some of the initial building materials, including bricks, for the clinics were sourced through my assistance as Tsholotsho MP; this is a council clinic; (b) Samawuru Rural Health Centre (built by the Seventh Day Adventist Church); I also assisted the clinic as well as Samawuru Primary School with the piped water scheme whose borehole was at the school's grounds and (c) Shaba Rural Health Centre, a council clinic, I also worked quite a bit for this clinic to be built together with the then ward councillor, Cde Mnkandla, was the district Zanu-PF Chair of the main wing at the time, Mrs Khumalo, the clinic is in fact going to be commissioned by Minister Sithembiso Nyoni on the 23 March 2011 at 10:00 am; Mrs Khumalo and I working with the Ward 16 people and people across the Manzamanyama River on the Plumtree side, led by ZINWA engineers and planners, we pegged and designed the Shaba dam (with a wall 20m high and water going upstream up to fourteen kilometres) to supply water to the communities, clinics, school and business centres in ward 16 and in the neighbouring wards.
By March 2011 Tshitatshawa Rural Health Centre (a council clinic) was at window level. The community together with me as the MP pushed hard for this clinic to be constructed at the business centre very near the primary and secondary schools, we worked together with then primary and secondary school heads, the secondary head then was Sicelo Mazibisa who now heads Tsholotsho High.
As we can see, fifteen of the twenty–one (21), or 71 percent, hospitals and clinics in Tsholotsho were built and commissioned after independence, in other words, they were built by the government of Prime Minister and President Robert Mugabe, we should not forget that local authorities are only a wing of central government which decentralises some of its functions through local authorities. Let us remember that even the NGOs (which include churches) and foreign embassies have assisted communities in Zimbabwe, and in Tsholotsho in particularly, because the government has approved the assistance as it falls within government plans, nothing happens in Zimbabwe without being part of government plans, except if it is illegal, like the illegal economic sanctions imposed on the country by the West and illegal activities of some NGOs (like all those NGOs talking tribalism in Matabeleland).
Even assistance from embassies , is the assistance to the government of Zimbabwe first and foremost, this assistance never used to be there before independence anyway, the independence government, Prime Minister and President Mugabe's government therefore, created the environment for the embassies to assist the communities. In fact the embassies assist the communities only because they are implementing government policies and plans, except when the embassies engage in illegal activities like forming and funding the MDC and many other NGOs that purport to be assisting the people when, in fact, their activities are meant to convince the people to remove President Mugabe and Zanu-PF from power.
(ii) Hospitals
There is no new hospital that has been built in Tsholotsho since independence.
However, Tsholotsho Rural Hospital has been upgraded to a district hospital, in other words more construction works took place at the hospital after independence for it to have more wards for it to be rural district hospital.
In addition, Tsholotsho District now has a Nurse Training School which was commissioned in Tsholotsho when I was still MP, I did my bit for the school to be established in Tsholotsho. This is a government school based at Tsholotsho District Hospital.
Needless to say, there was no district hospital in Tsholotsho before independence; neither did we have a Nurse Training School before 18th April 1980 in Tsholotsho.
(iii) Blair Toilets.
The advent of independence saw thousands upon thousands of Blair Toilets being built all over the country, and Tsholotsho was not left behind. Each homestead saw itself building a Blair toilet, some of them with the assistance of NGOs. The Blair toilet programme was part of a government health programme to reduce the spread of communicable diseases in the country. But it also got rid of the embarrassing practice of people using the bush to relieve themselves, this was the norm for Africans in the rural areas in Rhodesia.
(c) Health centre with electricity
Both Tsholotsho Hospital and the Tsholotsho Urban Clinic have electricity as they are connected to ZESA electric lines.
The other health centres that are connected to ZESA are Sipepa Rural Hospital, Bhubhude Rural Health Centre and Nkunzi Rural Health Centre. At one time Jimila Rural Health Centre had a small solar electricity facility which I commissioned when I was MP.
5. Transport and roads
Before independence there was only one tarred road in Tsholotsho, the single lane Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, and only twenty – four kilometres of that road is in Tsholotsho any way. When I became Tsholotsho MP, we pushed for the widening of this road so that it became a double-lane tarred road. The government of Zimbabwe agreed to do that. So far only five kilometres from Tsholotsho town have been done, this has been so thanks to the illegal Western and MDC sanctions imposed on the country during the past ten years to force the people of Tsholotsho to suffer so that they end up blaming President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for doing little for them in Tsholotsho and in Matabeleland – the West and the MDC are telling the people of Tsholotsho something like: "We will make you suffer in order for you to vote Mugabe out of power!"
We also pushed for the Tsholotsho-Lupane road to be tarred as a double-lane road. The government agreed to this, and it started the works on this road in the late 1990s when I was still MP. The road now has been tarred up to about thirty kilometres before it connects with the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road. Again the illegal sanctions of the West and the MDC have delayed its completion.
We also pushed for the tarring of the Tsholotsho – Plumtree and Tshefunye-Solusi roads. The Tshefunye-Solusi road has been done, we are still left with Tsholotsho-Plumtree road ,again the delay is because of the illegal sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport repairs its roads in Tsholotsho -roads like the Tsholotsho-Plumtree road, Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, Tsholotsho-Dlamini-Sodaka road and the Tsholotsho-Mtshayeli road. Before the imposition of the illegal sanctions, this was done every year. But not any more.
Were it not for the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the MDC and its Western creators and handlers, all the roads that the government agreed and planned for them to be tarred would have been tarred by now if we were to go by what happened when the Tsholotsho-Lupane and the Tshefunye-Solusi roads were tarred.
The District Development Fund (DDF) also maintained its own roads, however because of the illegal sanctions its activities in Tsholotsho have been reduced in the last ten years.
5. Transport and Roads
Before independence there was only one tarred road in Tsholotsho, the single lane Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, and only twenty-four kilometres of that road is in Tsholotsho any way. When I became Tsholotsho MP, we pushed for the widening of this road so that it became a double-lane tarred road. The government of Zimbabwe agreed to do that. So far only five kilometres from Tsholotsho town have been done, this has been so thanks to the illegal Western and MDC sanctions imposed on the country during the past ten years to force the people of Tsholotsho to suffer so that they end up blaming President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for doing little for them in Tsholotsho and in Matabeleland – the West and the MDC are telling the people of Tsholotsho something like: "We will make you suffer in order for you to vote Mugabe out of power!"
We also pushed for the Tsholotsho-Lupane road to be tarred as a double-lane road. The government agreed to this, and it started the works on this road in the late 1990s when I was still MP. The road now has been tarred up to about thirty kilometres before it connects with the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road. Again the illegal sanctions of the West and the MDC have delayed its completion.
We also pushed for the tarring of the Tsholotsho – Plumtree and Tshefunye-Solusi roads. The Tshefunye-Solusi road has been done, we are still left with Tsholotsho-Plumtree road ,again the delay is because of the illegal sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport repairs its roads in Tsholotsho ' roads like the Tsholotsho-Plumtree road, Tsholotsho-Bulawayo road, Tsholotsho-Dlamini-Sodaka road and the Tsholotsho-Mtshayeli road. Before the imposition of the illegal sanctions, this was done every year. But not any more.
Were it not for the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the MDC and its Western creators and handlers, all the roads that the government agreed and planned for them to be tarred would have been tarred by now if we were to go by what happened when the Tsholotsho-Lupane and the Tshefunye-Solusi roads were tarred.
The District Development Fund (DDF) also maintained its own roads, however because of the illegal sanctions its activities in Tsholotsho have been reduced in the last ten years.
6. Water and Irrigation.
As we said earlier on, Tsholotsho is a very dry district of very sandy soils generally with only two big rivers, the Gwayi River along the length and breadth of the eastern boundary, and the Manzamnyama (Nata) River along its southern boundary. The district has very few streams, most of it is flat land full of flares, ponds and swamps whose water, when there are good rains, eventually flows into either the Gwayi River or the Manzamnyama River whose water disappears into the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, and the Gwayi River is a tributary of the Zambezi River.
In spite of having the two big rivers on its borders, no dam was ever built in Tsholotsho by the colonial powers across these rivers. The major water works ever done in Tsholotsho before independence was the Gariya Canal from Manzamnyama carrying water into Gariya dam, (also built before independence), and the canal off Manzamnyama River near Sikente that takes water through swamps and ponds to the dam near Samahuru.
There also used to be two weirs across the Nzombani stream at Sipepa. The Sipepa one was filled with sand a long time ago, whilst the Mkhethwa one was swept away by water many years ago.
Household and livestock water before independence used to be provided by the African Development Fund (ADF), which is now District Development Fund (DDF). The ADF sunk boreholes at villages and built the few weirs in the district as well as the Gariya water scheme. There was no single piped water scheme for the villagers then. Piped water was provided however for the two hospitals and the houses of the white officers in Tsholotsho Town, but still borehole water.
DDF continued with what the ADF had been doing. More boreholes were drilled after independence and, therefore, more water became available for the people. But because of the illegal Western and MDC sanctions imposed on the country, DDF's activities on the provision of water and maintenance of boreholes and weirs have also been reduced tremendously.
When I became MP, the government, through the Department of Water Development (DWD), now the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), agreed to revive the idea of constructing a dam at the confluence of the Gwayi and Khami Rivers to serve both the Tsholotsho and Mguza districts, the plans for this dam had been done some time back. ZINWA also went and designed a dam at the confluence of the Gwayi and Mguza rivers. I actually took officials of a Russian company to the dam site. The Russians had shown interest in constructing the dam.
I asked ZINWA and the government after a request from the villagers for the construction of Shaba dam on the Manzamnyama River. As said earlier, I together with the villagers and ZINWA pegged the dam site, after ZINWA designed it. As the reader reads these words, there is a company formed by local Shaba young professional people who are in the middle of discussions with ZINWA for them to fund the construction of the dam on a Built-Operate-And-Transfer (BAT) basis.
After being requested by the Nanda villagers and their councillor, I took ZINWA officials (at the time the provincial head was Engineer Allan Sibanda) to the point where Nanda dam on the Manzamnyama River could be constructed. ZINWA designed a sand abstraction scheme at the point as well as the dam. The scheme will supply a near-by irrigation scheme, Nanda Primary school, Nanda Business Centre and the villagers' homes and livestock.
ZINWA redesigned the Sipepa water weir as well as the Mkhethwa weir with a view to rebuilding the weirs. At Mbamba ZINWA designed and laid a metred piped water scheme which is still operational today. It did the same at Dinyane and Sipepa. In other words, Mbamba, Dinyane and Sipepa actually have metered water for the villagers, schools, hospital and the business centres. The three schemes are still operational.
In Tsholotsho Town itself, ZINWA built the largest concrete water reservoirs (one has a capacity to hold 500 000 litres and the other 250 000 litres of water) to service Tsholotsho Town through a metred piped water scheme. The water comes from the Gwayi River by sand abstraction at the Lukukwe-Lupinde ZINWA water works; the scheme also supplies water to some homesteads at Madona and Tshaka villages.
To augment the Tsholotsho water supply ZINWA, through my request, built a five metre high weir at the Lukukwe-Lupinde ZINWA water works. Part of the original plan for the weir was to also supply water to all the Manqe/Bhule villages, the idea was to prevent children's teeth from going brown because of salty water. I worked with Tsholotsho District Hospital on this project. As a result, ZINWA designed a 15 kilometre pipeline from the weir to Manqe/Bhule and pegged all the homesteads at the Manqe/Bhule villages.
At my request ZINWA designed piped and metred water schemes for Mbuthe, Mvundlana, Madona, Dombo, Tshaka and Manzimahle villages to be supplied by the Lukukwe-Lupinde water works. I presented the plans for these schemes to Headman Tshaka Charles Mazibisa at a villagers' meeting at Muvundlana Primary School more than four years ago, but the plans had been drawn when I was still MP at the request of the villagers and the schools. But then the illegal sanctions were thrown on the country's shoulders by the West and the MDC.
At my request ZINWA also designed and laid the pipes for the Dlamini piped and metred water scheme. As a result, the whole of Dlamini Business Centre and the nearby village have water pipes below the surface, in fact VillageHead Dlamini was the first to install a water tap at his homestead. Unfortunately, the scheme has never been operational because of the illegal sanctions that stopped the funds required for the scheme; and the village head is still waiting, even in his old age.
ZINWA designed yet another metered water schemefrom Gwayi Siding up to Mlagisa (Dibutibu) Business Centre for all the villages, schools and the clinic right up to there. From that scheme ZINWA designed other metered water schemes for such places as Mpindo, Ngamo, Ziga, Kapanyana, Kapane, Mlevu, Phelela, Mpilo, Mpanedziba and Tshibizina. This had never been done before independence.
ZINWA also designed and developed the Mhlabangubo Eluhlaza irrigation scheme with funds from a Germany NGO.
The borehole was sited and drilled by ZINWA which constructed the water reservoir and laid the pipes for the scheme. The Irrigation Departrment in the Ministry of Agriculture is currently working to revive this scheme, with Irrigation Engineer Thubelihle Thebe working tirelessly with the villagers there, the villagers are led by Mike Ntutha.
The same happened at Moyeni where we started a new irrigation sheme with pipes covering the whole garden, with a new engine. This was funded through the British Embassy.
The Sawudweni community was lucky as a new weir was built through an NGO for livestock water. The Shaba irrigation project also received a new water engine.
At Sipepa a canal irrigation scheme was constructed near the business centre through the NGO Ehlekwini in the 1980s. Help-Age also drilled boreholes at many places in Tsholotsho for instance at Mbuthe village. Plan International and many other NGOs have done the same all over Tsholotsho, all done as part of government and Tsholotsho council plans for the district.
Tsholotsho now also boasts of a Grain Marketing Board depot, there never used to be one before independence.
Source - Chronicle
