More than a decade old political polarisation has a become a cancer that is fast tearing apart the once united rural community thwarting development, villagers under chief Zindi in Honde Valley have bewailed.
Villagers said instead of being united for the sake of development people value political differences at the expense of development resulting in abject poverty for many. Since 2000 when the opposition MDC started to contest in election both ZANU PF and MDC have won the constituency interchangeably.
“At times MPs donate food and other things but the Chief or the headman and other villagers just say this one belongs to ZANU PF or MDC depending on who donated and you do not benefit,” bemoaned youth Joseph Mambodo of Chapinduka village.
Mambodo, who has a plantation of 750 banana fruit trees, said his wife has been working hard for years to ensure that they get water into the plantation from the nearby mountains but they are yet to benefit from the project despite their hard work. “Segregation is the major problem here. We cannot develop because of the division that is among us as a result of political differences,” said the 29-year-old Mambodo.
Speaking at a public meeting organised by the Election Resource Centre (ERC) at Zindi Primary School recently, villagers said there is need for leaders to lead by example educating communities that political differences matters less.
ZANU PF and President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, in a bid to maintain his grip on power - facing intense opposition after the birth of the MDC in 1999 led by former trade union leader Morgan Tsvangirai used land and food distribution as a political weapons dividing communities for many years.
“If we submit written petitions highlighting our grievances our local leaders here don’t submit the petitions to desired authorities because they accuse us of belonging to a certain political party,” said Tsitsi Dembaremba. She added that chief and the headman are perpetuating divisions among them emphasizing that they should not lead development programmes.
Charles Nyakunhuwa from Nyakunhuwa village under Chief Mutasa said they are sometimes sidelined from projects because the headman demands a high joining fee from them.
“These MPs during election time they come to us and ask us what we want in the area for it to develop but they don’t come back once voted into office,” said Hamutsari Bvitira.
Bvitira said irrigation pipes her village had requested were diverted to another group because her group was viewed to be belonging to a wrong political party.
Villagers, however, appealed to Chiefs and headmen to champion unity through encouraging communities to desist from hate speech in the wake of the continued falling apart of communities.