In what is a clear show of double standards and politicisation of development, a Gutu Rural District Council subcommittee yesterday approved Zanu PF secretary for security, Lovemore Matuke’s application to build a clinic barely six months after rejecting a similar project by an opposition party leader.
The town board committee chaired by Gabriel Mapepa approved
Matuke’s private clinic which is to be constructed at Mpandawana Growth Point
just across Munhende River along Gutu – Chatsworth road.
The Clinic which will be known as Sandon Clinic is
according to council officials who presented the application to the committee
primarily to serve Matuke’s private school called Sandon which is more than
10km away from the growth point.
What raises eyebrows is that last year the same council
rejected a bigger hospital and school project proposed by MDC Alliance leader
Nelson Chamisa for rural Mawunga.
Members of the public who spoke to The Mirror said that the
rural people to be served by Chamisa’s hospital project travel 70km to the
nearest hospital and are therefore in a direr situation than those at
Mpandawana Growth Point where Matuke’s clinic will be build. What makes the
situation worse for Chiwara rural is that Gutu District has just one
operational ambulance for its population of more than 0,5 million people.
Villagers are ferried to hospitals and clinics in wheel
barrows and ox-drawn carts. The ambulance is just used for inter-hospital
transfers.
Sandon Clinic is going to be built 800m from Gutu Rural
Hospital, the second largest hospital in Gutu District. It is also 9km from
Gutu Mission Hospital, the biggest referral hospital in the district. There are
also a number of private clinics dotted around the growth point which makes
Sandon a luxury compared to the dire need for Chiwara villagers.
Yesterday’s approval of Matuke’s project now awaits
endorsement of the full council. A source however, told The Mirror that there
are plans to bring back Chamisa’s application for discussion in council again.
In the forefront of rejecting Chamisa hospital project were
Gutu RDC chairman Nicholas Zambara and Gutu District Development Coordinator,
Cheedza Tafirei.
Matuke also recently started an ambulance business in
Masvingo under the name Trans-care Emergency Medical Services. Masvingo Mirror
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