Taurai Masamba
The ZANU PF Marondera East candidate for the 26 March 2022 by-elections, Jeremiah Chiwetu is very confident that the Party is going to retain the seat.
Speaking to this publication on the sidelines of the rally which was addressed by Vice President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera last weekend, Chiwetu indicated that despite the challenges facing the constituency, ZANU PF would retain the seat.
“The constituency faces a number of challenges. It has 40 schools some of which required upgrading. Some schools in resettlement areas such Manhoro Primary Schools need infrastructure. The constituency is home to the Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (MUAST), but not many constituents are benefitting from the institution due to lack of Advanced Level schools,” he said.
On the health front, Chiwetu highlighted the need to increase the number of clinics in the constituency’s 12 wards to meet Government’s policy that citizens should not walk for over five kilometres to access health services.
“Some farm houses such as the ones at Nyamutora and Ruware can be converted into clinics. Some clinics such as Masikana Clinic need upgrading,” he said.
The aspiring candidate said the constituency needed more boreholes and irrigation infrastructure in places such as Village 15 in Ward 21.
Chiwetu, who was the legislator of the constituency from 2013 to 2018, said the constituency’s roads needed rehabilitation and thanked the District Development Fund (DDF) for attending to some of the roads.
In terms of on-going developmental projects, he submitted that he was promoting women’s rural bakery and chicken projects.
Chiwetu commended the Pfumvudza Programme as a game changer.
“The Pfumvudza Programme, which was introduced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has gone a long way in assisting many families in the constituency to be food secure. Many families barely harvested anything meaningful season for season, but with the advent of the programme, many of them are harvesting enough to last them until the following rain season,” he said.
The aspiring legislator bemoaned lack of financial resources to roll out youths’ income generation projects as a solution to unemployment. In this regard, he said he was working on mobilising resources to assist youths in the constituency with income generation projects.
Asked about his chances of winning the seat, Chiwetu was very confident of a victory.
“Yes, we are facing a number of problems as a result of the ongoing economic challenges, but I am confident that we will retain the seat. This is because our people fully appreciate that the challenges we are facing are not being caused by ZANU PF as the opposition shamelessly claims, but by the sanctions invited by the leaders of the same opposition. They appreciate that their party under President Mnangagwa’s leadership is doing all within its power to rebuild the country and improve the quality of their lives through his Vision 2030,” he said.
The Marondera East seat fell vacant when the previous legislator, Patrick Chidhakwa passed away in South Africa in September 2020.
Chiwetu has been a ZANU PF member since his youth. He was the Party’s Provincial Deputy Secretary for Security from 2013 to 2016. He was also the Provincial Secretary for Legal Affairs from 2018 to 2021. During the provincial elections held in December 2021, he was elected Provincial Secretary for Security.
