The ManicaPost
Nyore Madzianike Senior Reporter
BARELY a year and a few months after assuming office as the Member of Parliament for Chimanimani West, following her triumph in the November 2016 by-election, Cde Nokuthula Matsikenyeri has made great strides in changing the lives of people in her constituency.
She has proved the “doubting Thomases” wrong as she is working hard to meet the expectations of people from the 13 wards she superintends over in her constituency.
To some, hers was a “Sisyphean endeavour” since the constituency she is leading had been literally abandoned by those who were entrusted to bring development to it.
Cde Matsikenyeri believes with the cooperation of people from the constituency she is destined to change the lives of many in Chimanimani West.
“There was nothing on the ground when people from Chimanimani West elected me to be their MP. The constituency was as good as abandoned and it was in a sorry state in terms of development,” she said.
Cde Matsikenyeri said she managed to improve the road networks in her constituency and rehabilitated some of the roads that were impassible.
Through her efforts, she said she managed to resurface the road from Muuyu weBuri to Chikwakwa.
“The road from Mhakwe to Nyanyadzi, which passes through Chingwizi, was in a very bad state; we have resurfaced it. Another road from Gazaland to Gudhlanga was also rehabilitated. We have plans to work on other roads around the constituency. I have done a survey to find out about the roads, which need immediate attention,” she said.
Cde Matsikenyeri said she facilitated the drilling of 22 boreholes around the constituency with people from Gudhlanga, which is naturally very dry being the biggest beneficiaries.
She said her plans were to have more boreholes being drilled to ease water problems especially in wards, which experience dry spells.
“We have a programme of water harvesting and we are planning to build weirs in Shinja, Biriri and Nhedziwa Ward 4. These will help people with income generating projects” she said.
Cde Matsikenyeri said she made great strides in improving the Nyanyadzi Irrigation scheme where various initiatives are being implemented.
“I have initiated various income generating programmes for youths who are now into goat rearing projects with women being involved in poultry. There are also various programmes lined up for men across the constituency,” she said.
Cde Matsikenyeri said she was working towards the construction of health centres in Wards 2 and 5 with expectations high that they will be complete by year-end.
She said construction of a mothers’ shelter at Shinja clinic was underway with water pipes having been replaced at Biriri clinic, which had water problems.
Mr Chenjerai Maosa of Zimunda said Cde Matsikenyeri had empowered a lot of people in the constituency through various projects.
“Considering the time she has been in office, I think she has done quite well. There are a lot of changes that we are witnessing in the constituency since she came into office. She has done a lot of advocacy work in which she educated women on their rights. She has empowered a lot of people through income generating projects. She empowered women through poultry projects and also gave youths some various project,” he said.
Mr Maosa said their MP visits the constituency almost twice a month making her more visible.
However, Mr Ephraim Muchayi of Ward 19 in Chikwakwa said Cde Matsikenyeri was making a lot of efforts in improving the standards of living in their area but some of her priorities were misplaced.
He said their MP was supposed to first look at things that sustained livelihoods in communities.
“I think she is misplacing her priorities. There are things that sustain communities, which need attention and those are things that she must address first. For example, there are dams that sustain people and livestock. Those dams have not been scooped and they no longer have capacity to hold water for a complete season,” he said.
He said Cde Matsikenyeri should rehabilitate roads that link communities with markets for agricultural products.
“She should have identified roads that connect people with markets and give them priority. Those are the things that matter most. She should have prioritised roads that link Mhakwe and Birchenough,” he said.
Mr Tsanangurai Gezi of Ward 9 blamed the legislator for making dozens of unfulfilled promises saying they overshadowed the amount of work done on the ground.
He, however, applauded the MP for revamping some of the irrigation schemes, which had been abandoned for a long time.
“We have heard of promises, which do not match the amount of work being done on the ground. Most of us depend on irrigation and we are yet to see the development that she has been talking about,” he said.
Archiford Mhlanga of Ward 2 in Wengezi said he had witnessed some progress in some schools in his area since the coming in of the MP.
He applauded Cde Matsikenyeri for drilling boreholes in their area saying they used to walk very long distances to access water.
“We have seen some progress in schools such as Mhandarume Secondary but more needs to be done in primary schools. They need computers. I would like to thank the MP for drilling boreholes in the area. We used to walk long distances to access water but now it is a thing of the past,” he said.
Mhlanga said they were looking forward to have their roads resurfaced and to have health facilities in their area too.
He, however, said MP Matsikenyeri was not very visible in their area saying she must improve.
Mrs Maria Muchada of Ward 6 believes MP Matsikenyeri should be given more time before people start talking about her contribution.
She said people should start evaluating her work after completing at least a whole term in office.
“How many years has she been in office that we start counting things that she could have done or not done? I think it is not fair on her part considering that some even went for more than 10 years without doing tangible development of the ground. Let us wait, say for at least two years then start evaluating her work. We should give her the benefit of doubt and afford her time to work,” she said.
Cde Matsikenyeri sits in the Parliamentary committee on Education, Sports and Culture and boasts hosting Parliamentary Portfolio meetings with teachers in her constituency.
She also sits in the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. We give Cde Matsikinyeri a rating of 8 /10.
