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Leonard Ncube, [email protected]

AN estimated 7 000 people from communities outside Victoria Falls have benefitted from 16 boreholes and sports programmes implemented by the Zanu-PF Hwange West Constituency candidate Cde Philani Moyo.

A tourism executive and proprietor for Shockwave Adventures, Cde Moyo has earned himself the nickname “Philani Ngamanzi”, taking from the investments he has made in provision of clean water in communities outside Victoria Falls.

The borehole drilling projects feed into the Second Republic’s Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme targeting 35 000 villages countrywide.

Cde Moyo started drilling boreholes a few years ago in Hwange West and parts of Hwange East Constituency where most of the boreholes are now powered by solar.

He has also sponsored five soccer leagues made up of 60 teams and netball leagues to which he donated soccer and netballs

 

The projects are being implemented in both communal and resettlement areas falling under Hwange West and nearby villages in Hwange East.

Cde Moyo presented the soccer and netball balls recently through Politburo member Cde Jacob Mudenda during a rally in Kachechete ward. 

Last Friday Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga acknowledged the borehole drilling programme’s impact saying no individual had achieved such a milestone.

“Philani has drilled 16 boreholes in rural areas. No-one has done that before. 

“ We now want those boreholes to support programmes of keeping fish, gardening, citrus fruits growing, poultry, goats, sheep and cattle rearing projects. We have said we will drill 35 000 boreholes across the country and Philani is already complementing Government efforts,” said Dr Chiwenga.

In an interview, Cde Moyo said the boreholes have capacitated about 7 000 villagers who now have clean water and can use   the water to start income generating projects like market gardening.

Cde Moyo is also supporting soccer leagues that include Ndlovu, Zambezi, Matetsi, Mosi, Chika, Chidobe, and Shockwave.

“Roughly 7 000 people have benefitted from the boreholes and these include Matetsi  and Lubangwe rural areas and we have also drilled and installed two in Hwange East,” he said.

Cde Moyo said the sports project is meant to improve socio-economic activity in communities.

“The reason we have been doing this is to encourage youths to particpate in sport in order to keep them away from drugs and crime. 

“We have introduced a system of giving them the money in advance so that they self-sustain as leagues and it’s up to them to find ways of investing,” he said. 

Cde Moyo said to assist communities to start market gardening, he had provided fencing materials.

“We want our communities to be food secure and also produce for the market in order to boost their incomes.” — @ncubeleon