Tshino and Esawudweni residents in Tsholotsho who were resettled from Gwayi area owing to flooding have called upon the government to ensure it completes the construction of their new dwellings before the start of the 2018 rainy season.
With a target to construct 319 houses, the government has so far completed 250 houses with the remaining 69 either at construction or at foundation stage.
Failure to finish the project owing to unavailability of resources has seen some villagers staying in tents while others are said to have returned to the low lying gwayi river area where their livestock remained.
During a visit to the two sites by Matabeleland North Provincial Minister of State, Cde Richard Moyo, the villagers, through their councilor, Mr Mthetho Sikhosana raised various challenges they are experiencing such as transport to deliver materials to access the area, owing to soft soils, water shortages and incomplete toilets among others.
The Ministry of Public Works and National Housing’s Provincial Planning Officer, Mr Augusto Rwizi, revealed that the plight of the villagers had not been forgotten as efforts are underway to ensure the project is completed within three months.
“It is no longer like it was before. When the rains come, people can get into the houses that are there but there are also tents that are there. We hope that since there are only 69 people that are left, the tents can be put into place so that they can be covered from the rains,” he said.
While expressing satisfaction with the works carried out to date, Minister Moyo, who has been conducting site visits to different government projects to assess progress, assured the villagers that government will keep its promises.
The government had to step in through its various arms after the villagers found themselves trapped by the floods, through the construction of the houses at the two sites.
The unavailability of grazing land saw livestock being left at the low lying areas with villagers taking turns to look after them, with fears that with the impending rainy season, their safety could be at risk.
Source – ZBC