ZANU-PF officials in Gweru have reportedly frustrated
efforts to invite government officials to preside over the handover of a school
science laboratory which was renovated by MDC Alliance legislator, Brian Dube.
Dube made the revelations last week during a Zimbabwe
Coalition on Debt and Development organised meeting on public finance
management and local governance.
"The handover of Ascot high School's renovated science
laboratory has been problematic with school officials being threatened,"
Dube said.
"We ended up failing to do the official handover after
vehicles of State security agents made numerous visits to the school to block
the programme."
He added: "Such
politicisation of development is one of the reasons why some partners are not
willing to partner us as opposition MPs in community development
projects."
Dube, who also recently turned a bar in Ivene suburb into a
community clinic using Constituency Development Funds (CDF) said some local
businesses who had initially pledged support for the project later pulled out
for fear of being "politically associated".
Last week, the opposition legislator handed over the health
facility to the community and invited mayor Josiah Makombe (also from the MDC
Alliance) as guest of honour.
Contacted for comment, Midlands Provincial Affairs minister
Larry Mavima, however, said he was not aware of any attempts by officials from
his party to stop government representatives from presiding over the handover
of MDC Alliance-initiated projects.
"No, I am not (aware of such attempts), neither have I
been invited and/or informed (of the handover of Ascot Secondary science
lab)," said Mavima, who is also a Zanu-PF senator for Midlands. Newsday
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