Accessibility to vital services is a basic human right but for communities such as the Shangaani in the southern part of Chiredzi in Chilonga this remains a pipe dream as they are cut-off from vital service centres such as Chiredzi due to the absence a bridge on the Runde River.

By Chipo Chabarwa.

Chipinda Bridge which connects Chikobedzi with Chiredzi collapsed in 2001 leaving residents with the risky option of using makeshift canoes to cross the flooded river especially during the rainy season. The Runde River has become the latest killer as desperate villagers attempt to cross it to access basic services in Chiredzi. A mother of three who lost three relatives who were trying to cross Runde river Elizabeth Chauke sums up the dire situation that has the potential to take even more lives;

“These canoes always capsize and many people have lost their lives but we have no option because we desperately need to survive. I have been diagnosed with diabetes so I need to routinely get checked up and get my medication in town (Chiredzi). The readily available alternative route is too long, a distance of 105 km from here (Chilonga) to get to Chiredzi”,

Chauke’s sentiments echo the pain that many people in Chilonga especially those with life threatening illnesses such as diabetes, BP, and HIV and AIDS endure daily by failing to access medication during the rainy season because of the unavailability of a bridge. This failure results in the skipping of prescribed medications which negatively complicates their conditions and can lead to preventable deaths.

The reconstruction of Chipinda Bridge has taken more than two decades, characterised by fake promises and seemingly structured marginalisation and made worse by what villagers perceive to be a combination of preposterous government bureaucracy, misplaced government priorities and never-ending corruption. The neglect and slow pace of the reconstruction of the bridge perpetuates the colonial deprivation that the Shangaani people endured and lays bare the deception by the independent state in its promises of ensuring equitable development of all places in Zimbabwe –including marginalized communities like the Shangaani.

The post- independent Zimbabwean government has failed to develop marginalised areas such as Chilonga which still rely on war time infrastructures such as the Chipinda bridge which was hastily constructed by the white minority regime. While legislators have a responsibility to make sure that development takes place in their areas, Chiredzi South Member of Parliament, Callisto Gwanetsa surprisingly blames the colonial state after 40 years of independence for the poor construction of the bridge ;
“The 2001 report is clear that the construction of the bridge was hastily and shoddily done resulting in its immense collapse just after 25 years. The report further noted that when the engineers came for the assessment of the bridge with a view to repair the bridge, they found out the damage was irreparable and recommended the building of a new bridge…… The bridge didn’t pass the ’litmus test’, it was hurriedly built in 1976/77 to facilitate the Rhodesian soldiers’ reaction to guerrillas’ incursions in the Gaza river that stretched to the Limpopo river”,he said

The above sentiments by Gwanetsa demonstrate the disinterested attitude by government and legislators in terms of planning and development in marginalized areas and the general failure to be responsible and accountable to the citizens.

Gwanetsa and the government’s hypocrisy was further exposed by a resident in a constituency WhatsApp group when he failed to respond to a question on why they were taking more than 20 years to construct a bridge when it took the Rhodesians less than 2 years to construct the same bridge which helped the community for 25 years before its collapse.

Another resident in the same WhatsApp group accused the legislator’s government of prioritising expensive cars at the expense of the community and also condemned the politicians’ habit of only re -surfacing during election time with empty promises.

Mr Titan Chilonga who was a coordinator during the construction of the causeway indicated that they are waiting the state and government to expedite construction of the Chilonga Bridge.

‘’Residents are bearing the brunt of using canoes to access the service center (Chiredzi) therefore in dire need of a bridge’ remarked Chilonga
Businesses such as farming have also been disrupted by lack of the absence of the Chilonga Bridge as one farmer Phenias Muguva lamented;

“We cannot access Chiredzi to buy inputs and sell our produce. We are using the Rutenga route which is very long, the other option will be shipping our produce using canoes and sometimes the goods gets washed away. About three hundred plot holders are affected”

He added that they have stocks of beans and maize, at times they invite local buyers who pay us very little money, for example a budget of maize sell at us$3 ,way below what is offered.

Muguva further said that their soils are sandy and require fertilizers which they cannot access due to the absence of a bridge.

A grocery shop owner in Chilonga demonstrated great exasperation due the absence of the bridge saying they are having to travel long distances to get their supplies.
Given the delay in reconstructing the estimated US$ 40 000 000 bridge, the Chilonga villagers are pushing for a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the construction of the bridge, an idea which has since been endorsed by the Malilangwe Trust, the owners of Gonarezhou National Park.

According to Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit (ZEPARU), PPPs are generally mooted for mobilizing funding and expertise for infrastructure that is considered key for economic development, at a time when government has limited resources and the assets involved are considered too critical to be placed wholly in the hands of private sector. In the process, they produce a win-win situation to both the private sector and government as both parties stand to benefit.

In his writings on Neo Colonialism Ngugi wa Thiongo noted that before independence, the leader generally embodies the aspirations of the people for independence and national dignity. But as soon as independence is declared, far from embodying in concrete form the needs of the people in what touches bread, land and the restoration of the country to the sacred hands of the people, the leader will reveal his inner purpose: to become the general president of the company of profiteers, and impatient for their returns which constitutes the national bourgeoisie’

The 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution outlines the key provisions for devolution. According to the Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit report -Titled: Exploring the key success factors in implementing Devolution in Zimbabwe says The Zimbabwean Constitution Amendment (No.20) Act 2013 provides the framework for devolution of government powers and responsibilities in section 264 with tiers of government outlined in section 5 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Sub-section 1 provides for devolution of government outlined in section 5 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.Sub-section1 provides for devolution of government powers and responsibilities to provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities. Section 30(3) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe further provides that a budget of at least 5%of the national revenues raised in any financial year should allocated to the provinces and local authorities as their share “.

Furthermore, the report alluded that ‘’Zimbabwe is implementing economic devolution where provinces and districts will act as economic hubs competing with each other to attract investment and transform themselves into economic zones with own gross domestic product (GDP) to ensure sustainable and equitable development of the country. These devolved tiers have some fiscal responsibilities which include deciding their own budgets and setting their own development priorities.’’

All these lofty ideas on devolution still remain to be implemented and realised in Zimbabwe and the marginalised areas such as Chilonga continue to suffer endlessly.

The seemingly systematic exclusion of the Shangaani people who rely on Chiredzi town for supplies of basic commodities and services post-independence is very worrying as they remain excluded and cut off from services that they need for daily existence. Although there is more talk on devolution, no meaningful progress has been made so far and there are no guarantees that any funds have been allocated to the reconstruction of Chilonga Bridge. This scenario could be seen as a case of neglect and systematic marginalisation.