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Stephen Mpofu

If a deafening wake-up call by President Mnangagwa a few days ago receives thumbed congested noses by those regarding it as a vanity of vanities and regard their government renumerations as manna from heaven, then nothing short of a rude reawakening for them will achieve desired results for our nation.

Today’s column contribution is about underperforming Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution whom the President lambasted for sitting on their laurels and failing to submit vital reports and attending vital Cabinet Committee meetings to receive guidelines on proper service delivery to the people in rural areas who look up to them for a better Zimbabwe developmentally.

They need, and certainly deserve, to be sent away into the woods and negotiate turbulent rural-urban roots and on finding no joy at the end of it proceed to the diaspora where they then labour as virtual slaves for their troubles.

Back here at home some family members of those who lose their jobs suffer want for lack of financial support with school-going family members losing opportunities for further studies and a better future.

Above all, rural areas and people out there who hosted the armed revolution that brought independence and freedom in 1980 after years of racist oppression by foreign colonial rulers continue to suffer a lack of industrialisation for the people out there to live better lives similar to what their counterparts in urban areas, erstwhile homes of former racist colonial settlers enjoy.

And you (yes, you) come to think of it: growth points dotted across our country after independence as basis for industrial and commercial development continue 45 years on as places for small shops and beer drinkers reveries.

The majority of Zimbabweans live out there in the rural areas which are the seed-beds of those who migrate to former white colonial masters’ settlements that also now suffer retardation in industrial and commercial growth caused by economic sanctions as punishment for free and independent Zimbabweans thumbing their noses at western imperialism by, for instance reclaiming every part of our country through land reform and in the process inviting the ire of imperialists intent on keeping black people under their thumb.

This communicologist says thumbs up to our President for calling out those who those fatten themselves on government’s renumerations and do not deliver on what they are paid for.

To cite a few examples of the failures of Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, roads and bridges out there in the sticks, as Zimbabwe’s colonial settlers pejoratively described rural areas, remain in a sorry state that rains eloquently pronounced to everyone with donkey-drawn carts and sledges drawn by oxen becoming virtually impassable in some cases.

Those, like this communicologist, who lived through colonial Rhodesia will point to gangs of workers that were common sights on country roads and deployed by the Rhodesian government to ensure that roads and bridges were usable by people without failure throughout the year.

Why, therefore, do we who are now in total control of our own affairs failing to do better so that our country’s all-round development proceeds without let or hindrance?

In his censure of Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, the President said those employees must submit comprehensive and timely reports on the state of provinces, highlighting all aspects including those on economic affairs. 

But sadly, he said it was unfortunate that some provinces were failing to make these submissions, obviously due to lackluster performances by those in charge and whom this pen believes should be shown the door to give way to workers more dedicated in serving the people who look to them for deliverance from underdevelopment. 

It is this humble communicologist’s belief that our government should give examples of projects for industrialising rural areas to Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution to implement for the upliftment of rural populations to end lopsided development enjoyed by urban dwellers while their brothers and sisters in many parts of our rural setup suffer want.

We Zimbabweans are with independence, our own house keepers with external good Samaritans lending help where we badly need it only as supplementary to our own efforts.