SYDNEY SAIZE IN MUTARE
The governing party ZANU-PF’s Member of Parliament (MP) for Mutare West, Teedzayi Muchimwe, was this week confronted by women from his constituency claiming the legislator has abandoned them since his election three years ago, it has emerged.
The women, who are under the non-governmental organisation called Just Associates (JASS), took the legislator by surprise while he was in Mutare on Monday this week.
They said they walk long distances to the closest clinic for medical maternal care and other medical check-ups.
“We have not seen you since your election victory and we are suffering as women who need medication. Our roads are so bad and impassable, making transporters to shun the area and depriving us of transportation,’’ Mayrose Kusena from Chiadzwa in Marange told the MP.
She added: “We need bridges, good roads, and health care services to ensure women are less overburdened.
‘’As women we have water sources that are too far away. We do not have boreholes in most parts from our area. We are pleading with you to helping in drilling adequate boreholes in the area.’’
Another villager from Arda Transau Mary Makuvi lamented the poor state of houses allocated to families moved from Chiadzwa in Marange.
Muchimwe said he understood the plight of women and other villagers in the constituency but said the lockdown imposed by the government to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic had stalled the implementation of some developmental projects in Mutare West and other parts of the country.
‘’What you are saying is the truth but we have to understand that we are coming from an abnormal situation where the Covid-19 pandemic has led to the suspension of some work that had been planned,” Muchimwe said.
“We are on a waiting list to have the roads in the constituency rehabilitated soon after the work being done on the tarring of the highway to Mafararikwa Shrine.
“The Church leader of the Johane Marange, Noah Taguta promised to assist us with some of his equipment to upgrade our roads.’’
Muchimwe said some of the grievances from women groups need to be tabled at government level and some at traditional leaders’ level.
