TD: When and how did you join politics?
DM: I was born into politics – my father, aged 88, is a veteran politician. He had to leave our family and this country in 1962, after the Rhodesian army hatched a plot to kill him for spearheading black emancipation. He is the one who opened a base in Tanzania where some liberation fighters were trained.
I grew up in the custody of my mother and the Rhodesian army at one time camped at our home in Chinhoyi terrorising us. They would censor letters sent by my father while he was away in Tanzania and later on in Egypt. As I grew up, also grew in the party’s hierarchy, from branch level until I reached the politburo.
TD: What led to you represent Zanu (PF) as Senator in 2005 and MP in 2008?
DM: When my brother Swithun died in 2003, he was MP for Mhangura and also Deputy Minister of Health. The people of Mhangura approached me to fill the gap and in 2005 I became Senator of Makonde. In 2008 the people requested me to represent them as MP for Mhangura constituency and I won resoundingly with 11,000 votes while all other political parties shared 2,000.
TD: What challenges are you facing?
DM: There are so many challenges in Mhangura, since the area used to be owned by white farmers and miners. The subdivision of farms during the resettlement saw many people settling in places where there is no water to drink and no medical facilities, schools or other basic infrastructure.
I embarked on building schools in nine wards of my constituency. The people make the bricks while I provide them with enough cement to construct blocks of classrooms. So far eight wards now have a secondary school. In every ward there is now a clinic – four of them set up using farm houses. Three villages and one school have been electrified. Roads are still a challenge and we bought three tractors and gave them to the rural council to make roads. I also engaged ZINARA to refurbish the 37km Poverty Valley Road, which had greatly deteriorated.
TD: Mhangura Mine used to be a beacon for Mashonaland West Province – what has happened to it?
DM: Mhangura Mine employed a lot of people from Mhangura and surrounding areas, but it closed in 2003 due to viability problems. The mine workers are still living in their quarters but we have allocated them land to venture into farming. I secured two water pumps that now supply drinking water from Hunyani River some 15 km away as they had gone for years without the precious liquid.
TD: It seems Mhangura is fast becoming an agricultural area rather than a mining one. What measures are you putting in place to ensure that farmers really produce?
DM: I regularly arrange training workshops in all wards where I invite experts in various aspects of farming such as breeding and equipment maintenance. There is also a factory which used to be run by Fresh Pack and soon our farmers will utilise it to pack their produce as it is lying idle. I also give awards to successful farmers by donating a cow from my kraal to the winning farmer.
TD: How did you use the $50,000 Community Development Fund?
DM: We invested it in pig farming and bought 40 sows and four boars as breeding stock. This project is self-sustaining, unlike poultry which requires one to buy new chicks every cycle. When the pig population reached 400 we started distributing five sows and one boar to small groups of farmers in all wards. From each group we also reap 12 piglets so that we further distribute to other beneficiaries to expand the project, which has seen 18 districts benefiting. So far there are 40 groups rearing pigs and soon it will expand to 120 groups as we continue to give new groups their breeding stock. I believe in team work and we will open an abattoir so that pig farming is done commercially. I also do seed distribution of tomatoes, onions, cabbages, cucumber and vegetables whereby people make gardens of one hectare and they work together and share profits. I also invite AREX officers to guide them on management.
TD: What are you doing for the youth in your constituency?
DM: I established the annual Mombeshora Youth Tournament in volleyball, darts, netball and soccer. There are 10 teams as each ward provides a team in each sport while the host ward provides two teams. Ward Two and Seven soccer teams have now graduated into Division II. Each year there is a theme. Last year it was “Youths Fighting HIV Infection. Promoting condom use, circumcision, PMTCT, abstinence and testing”. I buy 1,000 T-shirts printed with the theme of that year for participants. During the three-day tournament I slaughter two cows to feed the youth and provide a budget of $30,000 from my own coffers. I also pay school fees for over 100 vulnerable children.
We opened two clinics in Mhangura and well furnished with equipment, which we handed over to the local authority but it could not employ nurses due to nurses’ establishment freeze by government.
TD: What are you doing in your area to curb violence?
DM: My area is almost a one party constituency. There is not much political violence. During the referendum 20,400 votes were recorded in my constituency – the the highest in Mash West. We believe in peace and live in harmony with opposition members in Mhangura.
TD: When do you intend to retire from politics?
DM: When I planned my life, I said I want to retire at 55 and still stand by that, but in politics people usually retire at 60. So after this coming term if voted into office, I do not see myself continuing unless there is a good reason for that. The other thing why I want to run for this term is to secure government pension after working for 10 years.
TD: What is your advice to the nation, government and people of Mhangura in particular?
DM: People must unite and be peaceful to each other as this leads to development. Individualism destroys us. People in Mhangura, you are farmers and farming is business, so work hard and think outside the box and you shall reap. Government should invest in agriculture through providing short, medium and long term loans because without adequate support farmers cannot produce. Our ministry of agriculture is not well funded. Farmers require fencing, irrigation schemes and structured finance.
The interest rates of 20 percent charged on contract farmers and banks leaves them poor when we should assist them. This rate is far too high and must be reduced. Mhangura is not a drought prone area and thus should be fully utilised as far as farming is concerned as it has potential to feed the country.
Biography
Studied for medicine at University of Zimbabwe. Born 1961, grew up in Mhangura and Chinhoyi. Current Deputy Minister of Health and Child Welfare.
Post published in: News