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Prosper Ndlovu recently in Binga
TRADITIONAL leaders from Binga have said they feel honoured by the zeal shown by the Second Republic towards transforming their district through enhanced developments projects.

Following the commissioning and handover of fishing rigs to 17 Binga chiefs by President Mnangagwa on Wednesday, the chiefs said the Government has demonstrated that it has people’s interests at heart.

The handover event marks the start of community driven commercial fishing projects on the Zambezi River, a long awaited dream, which is expected to create job opportunities along the value chain.

The Government is also facilitating establishment of cold rooms to support the new business venture, which buttresses the fisheries and nutrition thrust.

President Mnangagwa, who was accompanied by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga and senior Government officials, also directed key ministries to swiftly implement major infrastructure projects in Binga that include rehabilitation of roads, construction of a vocational training centre, new schools and clinics, and a new border post, borehole drilling, setting up of a nursing school at Binga Hospital, birth certificates and identity documents issuance, refurbishment and operationalisation of the hospital mortuary.

In separate interviews after the launch on the bank of the Zambezi River, excited Binga chiefs commended President Mnangagwa’s transformative leadership.

“As a chief from Binga, I am so delighted and impressed to have this programme (fishing rigs) see the light of day. It comes a long way after intense lobbying for empowerment to equate us with chiefs from other regions who acquired commercial land,” said Chief Senator Siansali.

“We have been honored and are so happy that at least from today, the chiefs will run businesses and we will be able to take care of smaller responsibilities and community costs.

“Binga does not have land to acquire as benefits of the Land Reform but we have been lobbying Government to say we need something similar to develop economic capacity.

“We have been pushing this through and passed about four ministers starting from former Minister Francis Nhema’s days. But now, with the Second Republic, we just had one meeting and after that it was just done.”

The chiefs said the empowerment of traditional leaders was ideal given their social standing and the role they play in assisting the needy.

They said for many years their communities lacked capacity to harness business opportunities from the Zambezi River, which is their biggest resource, as they could not have their own produce.

Chief Sinamusanga from Lunga area said: “This is a very exciting moment for the people of Binga. At least we now have something to build our wealth from.

“We will now be able to generate money, pay school fees for our children and do other projects.”
Chief Sinakatenge from Chunga area said President Mnangagwa has demonstrated that he takes seriously the need to uplift ordinary people’s livelihoods.

“We are so happy with the fishing rigs we just received from the President Mnangagwa and the development projects being done here.

“Our communities will now benefit from their resource like others who got land from the Government,” he said.

“We expect this intervention to create more job opportunities for locals.

“Remember we are a social welfare office as chiefs and if anyone encounters a serious problem they run to the chief and seek assistance to be rushed to hospital.

“As such people don’t expect chiefs to be broke but to be ready to assist them anytime.”
Meanwhile, the chiefs also urged the Government to assist the newly licensed community radio stations to take off and play their supportive role to development.

Regarding development in the wider Matabeleland region they said the New Dispensation has proved to be different.

“Its unfortunate that some from this region don’t appreciate positive development but honestly, if you compare the Second Republic with the old dispensation, there is a marked difference,” said Chief Senator Siansali.

“Under the Second Republic we have projects and programmes that we can talk about and I can’t attempt to mention even projects like the revival of irrigation schemes.

“The Gwayi-Shangani Dam is a project mooted in 1912 but with the Second Republic it has seen light of the day and is closer to completion now.”

The chiefs also said the Second Republic has shown commitment to transforming all regions through devolution programmes.

“I think we should be sober in our analysis and try to look at the projects with a positive mind. In as much as we still expect more to be done for the region, it’s worth appreciating what is being done now and lobby for more,” said Chief Siansali.

“For instance, we didn’t know how and when the army and the police used to recruit personnel but now we see quiet a number of our young people joining and some running away and all this has to be appreciated.

“The Second Republic is doing what it can to bring development but the problem is that some people from the region always tribalise and tribalise everything that is happening, which is not wise.”