The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
WHO does Cde Hubert Nyanhogo (Zanu-PF) really represents in parliament? Certainly not the poor people of Nyanga North, as constituents say MP Nyanhongo has been aloof since 2013.
They rated the MP’s responsiveness to their demands as “poor” as he complains bitterly about annoying constituents who frequently call him asking for help.
They say the MP abruptly cuts phone calls purely to keep them off from disturbing him.
“He is one of the laziest MPs. His work rate is despicable. He has failed to meet our minimal expectations. Who is he representing in parliament, certainly not us? MPs have three roles – constituency work, parliamentary duties, and oversight, and Cde Nyanhongo fared badly in all,” said Headman Misheck Sanyamaropa.
He said the MP was invisible, extremely inactive and failed to service his constituency since 2013.
“It is a fundamental part of an MP’s duty to respond to the constituents’ concerns, but this is not the case with him. His conduct, visibility and execution of duties were really below expectations. From the day we elected him, he never came back even to say ‘thank you’. There is no development that he has personally initiated. He only resurfaced recently promising to buy us some motor bikes. He made such tall promises in 2013 and has not fulfilled them. We have had enough of him,” said Headman Sanyamaropa.
He bemoaned youth and child poverty, saying most vulnerable young people in the constituency were cut adrift when they need help the most from the MP.
The constituents said Nyanga North catalogue of needs include drinking water facilities, education, health, sanitation, irrigation and agriculture; special interests such as youth, women and people with disabilities; access to justice, security, gender; roads and transport; land, culture and sports; environment; mining and business.
“In 2013 he posed as a leader who believes in education as a vehicle to success and happiness, and we rallied behind him thinking he would provide proper environment for our children to learn, but to no avail,” said Mrs Rosemary Manyawu.
Mrs Manyawu said some children, especially girls, face the inevitable doom over bad grades courtesy of overcrowded classes, early marriages and uninspiring teaching environments in local schools.
“We need modern schools that could make pupils from less privileged backgrounds get a fighting chance at a good life,” she said.
Nyanga Rural District Council chairperson (Zanu PF) Clr Moses Gutu conceded that Nyanga North has been neglected for a very long time.
Clr Gutu, who is also a Zanu PF Central Committee member, said Cde Nhanhongo has failed the ruling party, the electorate and should retire as MP.
“Zanu PF will not retain the seat with (Cde) Nyanhongo as its candidate. It will be a tall order because he has done nothing and people are really angry. He was the laziest MP,” said Clr Gutu.
“Nyanga North has been neglected. We need to end poverty by creating a green belt in-between and along perennial Nyangombe and Gairezi rivers. This will complement Nyakomba and Nyamaropa irrigation schemes. The constituency is also good for livestock – cattle and goats – but nothing is being done to improve rural livelihoods. We are not happy that he keeps ignoring these bread and butter issues. To be honest with you, the MP has been the missing link. He must retire or go to Senate, the people are angry because he has done nothing. He was confronted by the electorate last month at Ruwangwe in the presence of a fact-finding team from Zanu PF. People called a spade a spade and made it very clear to the probe team that (Cde) Nyanhongo haaitiba,” said Clr Gutu.
Clr Gutu said the MP should travel across the constituency, interact with the people and speak to them, not in technical, but in simple language they understand. Chief Saunyama weighed in saying his area falls in natural region five and requires lots of boreholes and irrigation facilities. Chief Saunyama said the roads were in bad state while schools and health facilities were too far.
Mobile phone, radio and television signals are also problematic. “The constituency has 12 wards which are all drought-prone and require a lot of boreholes and irrigation facilities to sustain livelihoods. Children and the sick travel long distances to access schools and health facilities, and these issues need to be addressed,” said Chief Saunyama. He said a multi-pronged approach was needed to tackle rural poverty and malnourishment of children.
Chief Saunyama said Cde Nyanhongo betrayed them by remaining silent in parliament when poverty was rifle among his Hwesa folks. Cde Nyanhongo admitted that his term was difficult, but blamed the hullaballoo on premature campaigns by some aspiring candidates.
He said the economic meltdown made it difficult for him to achieve half of the set targets.
“The economic challenges affecting Government made it impossible for us to achieve 50 percent of the targets in Nyanga North.
You should also be aware that my duty as the MP is not to use my own money to build bridges, refurbish roads, but to source funding from Government and other partners to address the various needs of the constituency. I am merely the bridge between people and Government,” said Cde Nyanhongo.
Through his efforts, he said, Government availed funding to drill eight boreholes in Katerere and donated 30 tonnes of cement to construct weir dams in the constituency.
He said the ICT ministry facilitated the construction of Netone base stations while REA connected several schools, clinics and business centres. Solar panels were also installed at Fombe Primary and Secondary Schools and Fombe clinic.
He also cited the rehabilitation and expansion of Nyakomba irrigation, with funding from the Japanese Government, as a major achievement. He was running around to secure 1000 litres of diesel to repair damaged roads at Nyamaropa irrigation scheme.
“Roads are so bad, partly as a result of the incessant rains, but we have started rehabilitating some of them. In Ward 8, we have built a modern clinic and Clr Maanda can confirm that as he was the focal person since most of the support was from Nyanga RDC.
“In Ward 13, we have established Manyawu secondary school with the help of a donor and we also built a bridge that had been neglected for over 20 years. We also have a new private boarding school under construction in the constituency,” he said.
Cde Nyanhongo said building materials have been mobilised to construct Nyanhongo secondary school in Nyadowa area. The plans have since been approved, and the project is expected to be completed by end of the year courtesy of the CDF.
Clr GetrudeMukunza said Cde Nyanhongo has done his best under very difficult conditions.
“This was generally a difficult term, not only for him, but the entire nation and we should appreciate him for doing his best. In Ward 10, he has assisted with two weir dams, one at Nyadowa and the other at Sabvure. We also have a new tank at Nyadowa clinic, and work is in progress at Mutetwa Secondary School. He is a good leader who works with community so well. I have worked so well with him, but cannot speak on behalf of others,” said Clr Mukunza.
Cde Nyanhongo said much of the criticism against him was being influenced by some Zanu PF aspiring candidates that he refused to name.
He said his rivals were coaching party cadres to discredit in a bid to wrestle the seat from him.
“We are still in the revolution, and we have intra-party enemies. Some of them are traditional leaders.
They have ganged up to behave like an opposition. That criticism is as a result of those enemies. We have aspiring candidates that are on the ground in Nyanga North. Nobody has given them the green light to campaign, yet they are busy disrupting on-going programmes. The party dispatched emissaries recently, who told them to stop. They should not put cart before the horse,” said Cde Nyanhongo.
Cde Nyanhogo said he sit in three parliamentary committees –Women and Gender, Agriculture and Transport – where he has been vocal about the state of roads, irrigation schemes and vulnerability of women and young girls in his constituency.
Cde Nyanhongo gets a rating of 4/10.
