The Chronicle
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Online Reporter
ZINDELE villagers in Ward 22, Gwanda District need a clinic as they have to travel about 35 kilometres to reach the nearest clinic.
Villagers from the resettlement area said in cases of emergency, they have to hire motorists who charge between R1 000 and R1 500 to get to Silonga Clinic.
The community has come up with an initiative to construct a health centre and land has been identified where the clinic will be constructed.
In tandem with the Second Republic’s philosophy that a country is built by its owners, they are making a difference for themselves.
Zindele village secretary, Rabson Mdlongwa said the area is a malaria hot spot and it becomes difficult to get medical assistance during outbreaks.
“We are in desperate need of a clinic because the one we are using is about 35 kilometres away. We face serious problems, especially during malaria outbreaks as we struggle to get our relatives to the clinic on time. We have lost a number of lives along the way due to malaria. Some women end up delivering babies in their homes and they are ferried to the clinic afterwards.
“We sat down as a community and agreed that we seriously needed a clinic. Our leadership then approached the council and we were allocated some land for the clinic. We have cleared the land and we are now waiting for council to do the pegging. Once we receive the green light to build the clinic we will start mobilising funds but we will also need financial assistance to ensure that we can complete our project timeously,” he said.
Another villager, Mr Khumo Muhloni said medical teams usually conduct child immunisation outreach programmes at Zindele Village twice a year but that was not enough.
He said villagers needed to access health care services within a reasonable distance. Mr Muhloni said they usually use scotch carts to get to the clinic but in cases of emergency they have to hire vehicles from locals. He said drivers charge exorbitant prices as they will be complaining about the poor road network.
“In cases of emergency we hire vehicles for as much as R1 500 to take us to the clinic. Drivers will be complaining about the poor road network. We stay in a resettlement area and the road network is very poor. However, some transporters will be taking advantage of desperate families,” he said.
Gwanda Rural District Council chief executive officer, Mr Ranganai Sibanda said council officials have visited the area for a site appraisal. He said a team will be deployed for pegging. Mr Sibanda said the project was a community initiative. He said council will come in and assist the community with funds and also help identify potential donors. – @DubeMatutu
Article Source: The Chronicle