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Leonard Ncube , Victoria Falls Reporter
ELEVEN schools in Hwange Central constituency benefitted from the over $400 000 Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocated by Government.

Hwange Central legislator Mr Daniel Molokele said he received a CDF lump sum of $405 000 for three years; 2018 to 2020.

He said after an initial proposal to use the funds to establish a community radio in Hwange hit a brick wall, the funds were then used to buy paint for administration blocks at eight primary schools and three secondary schools in his constituency.

The beneficiaries are Lusumbami, Lwendulu, Mabinga, Makwika, Nechibondo, Sir Humphrey Gibbs, St Georges and St Ignatius primary schools.

The secondary schools are Chilisa, Hwange High and Hwange Secondary.

The schools got between 35 litres and 80 litres each depending on individual need.

Addressing a constituency development meeting that was held virtually, Mr Molokele said the 2021 CDF will be used to drill boreholes in three rural wards to augment water.

He said the constituency expects $2 million for 2021.

Most parts of Hwange are dry as rivers hardly fill up during the rainy season because of silting while boreholes dry up during the hot months.

“The CDF came on the third year which is 2020. We got $50 000 for 2018, $80 000 for 2019 and $225 000 for last year. We had anticipated to use the money for funding establishment of a community radio initiative which we felt would have been a long term project for the constituency as all our programmes would not have a platform where they will be tackled but it was turned down.

“So we hastily came up with another proposal to rehabilitate school administration blocks and 11 benefitted. We handed the schools the paint and they were painting on their own,” said Mr Molokele.

The CDF committe has agreed to use the money to drill boreholes in ward 12, ward 13 and ward 20.

The committee which includes councillors for the areas has already identified deserving areas and is waiting for disbursement of the funds.

Mr Molokele said nutritional gardens will be established after the drilling of the boreholes and a non-governmental organisation will spearhead that.

He said the CDF had come up with a deliberate policy to rotate allocation of the funds between rural and urban wards hence next year wards in Hwange town will benefit.

In 2023 beneficiaries will be in the rural wards.

Government has reiterated its call for MPs to utilise the CDF in a transparent manner to develop constituencies. -@ncubeleon cm