Magwegwe West gets 'listening' aspiring MP

MAGWEGWE West aspiring independent legislator, Nkosana Mkandla says he has observed many mistakes made by current public office bearers and put mechanisms to rectify them when he gets into office.

Mkandla claims that he has been privately meeting with Magwegwe constituents to learn more of what they expect from their leaders. He hosted a soccer tournament in the community to keep the youth off drugs and alcohol last week. He says his passion is to provide a platform, where masses are given a chance to air their views.

Southern Eye reporter, Talent Gumpo, (SE) caught up with Mkandla (MN) and below are the extracts of the interview.

SE: What is the major driving force behind your interest in politics?

NM: In 2015, I told myself that I will run for a council or parliamentary seat because I have observed that most countries are stagnant because of an ageing leadership. There is no innovation because you obviously cannot teach an old dog new tricks. It is easier for the young generation to adapt to a new thinking and practice because that is what we thrive on. The composition of our government, previously and now, does not have young people, so no one can address their grievances.

There is a disconnection in our expectations and those who stand for us in government. I realised that there is need for youth to stand up for themselves. We need to see parliamentarians, who are young, so that we create an atmosphere, where youth also participate in nation-building. When the current political gurus went to war they were youth, so we need to have a young generation aspiring to be politicians. Right now, they do not because politics has been labelled a dirty game. We need to change those views.

SE: Where does your inspiration come from?

NM: I realised that most of the time, people talk, but politicians never listen. When they go to the people, they make promises and disregard the fact that people also have a say in how they should be governed. My reason of getting into politics is to listen to what the people saying and act upon that.

SE: What is your overall assessment of the current political space?

MN: I feel there is division, where one can either be pro-Zanu-PF or pro-MDC. We need to break this cycle and embrace different views for the ultimate goal of inclining towards a common value, the Zimbabwean value. There is nothing that brings us together as Zimbabweans. We need to create an environment, where each person is accepted for who they are and take pride in being Zimbabweans at the end of the day.

SE: Which strategies are you using to campaign?

NM: I engage the public through meetings because my mandate when I get into Parliament comes from the people. I believe that the residents know what they want and how it should be done, so I am giving them a platform to express themselves. The soccer tournament we held was to make sure that we harness the skills that keep the youth off the streets.

SE: Which other projects do you have lined-up?

NM: The projects must come from the people because they know what they want, we do not want to impose projects on them. But one of the key things that I want to do when I get into Parliament is to create local economies where people create their own businesses, enterprises, employment, my part will be to make sure we create a conducive environment that will allow them to do that.

SE: Where do you get your funding?

NM: I funded this project, but of course, there are members of the community, who are always willing to support because it is not my project, it's ours – with the community so where they can, they assist.

SE: What would you change if you are voted into Parliament?

NM: I will push for resuscitation of our infrastructure, mainly roads. Our roads are in bad state, which is hindering transportation of goods and services. We used to have youth centres in locations, which were very instrumental in grooming productive youth. They would be taught how to bake, carpentry, cookery and many other relevant skills, but we no longer have those. When people finish high school, they have nowhere to go, they end up roaming the streets and engaging in crime.

SE: What should your constituency expect from you when you are voted into office?

NM: I want to create a relationship of working together with the community. I do not want to promise people things that I might not be able to deliver. People have the solutions, I want to listen to what they want, then, prioritise and see what is deliverable within the five years. We must change from the politics of promising, because once a politician makes promises, the community ultimately becomes a slave to them and wait upon them to deliver. I stand for empowering the community because they are the major stakeholders.

SE: Parting shot?

NM: The power is in people's hands and they can decide who to lead them, but they need not forget that they have previously been promised a lot of things that are yet to be delivered. Communities must elect people who are willing to work for them, with them. They must not be bribed with food handouts, but they must be able to generate their own income and not be at the mercy of politicians.