Suburban
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
HARARE EAST constituency has selected a 12-member Constituency Development Fund (CDF) committee, which will among other things start working on agreed projects, chief among them being the construction of a public hall.
Harare East constituency has US$34 000 left from its 2018 CDF allocation. Treasury releases funding for all constituencies under the CDF which Members of Parliament use to fund community projects in their constituencies. Projects selected for funding should be agreed upon by the CDF committee, which comprises of residents from wards in the area, the MP, Senator and councillors in the constituency.
Speaking at a residents’ meeting held last week Thursday at Greendale Sports Club, Harare East Member of Parliament, Mr Tendai Biti said the function of the committee is to work with the MP on how to utilise the CDF.
“The committee will then open a bank account.
“The committee will start working on the agreed projects for the construction of a public hall for our community.
“I propose then that the committee then works and coordinates with residents’ associations on other issues that we will be working with on issues of roads and potholes, garbage, the adoption of a refuse truck, skip bins, water and volunteerism.
“If we have to open an account for that separate issue, we will do that but it will be the committee making the decision or we can use the Greendale Residents (and Ratepayers) Association’s account,” he said.
Mr Biti said the committee will meet next week for the inaugural meeting.
“We then go to Parliament.
“I will introduce you to the local authority. There’s a lot to be done.
“What we want is service delivery,” he said.
Mr Biti said the CDF gets an allocation annually each time the Minister of Finance delivers the national budget or a supplementary budget.
“So if a supplementary budget comes, we get some more funds,” he said.
Mr Biti urged residents to send volunteers when he is holding clean-ups and cutting grass.
“We are also appealing for equipment. It’s a lot of work,” he said.
Harare East residents have supported the idea of building a community hall in Mandara which will be used for a number of purposes.
Harare East MP Mr Tendai Biti suggested at a recent Constituency Development Fund meeting that the CDF money should be used to build a community hall in Mandara.
Residents said a community hall will ensure they have a place where to hold meetings and other community functions.
The Greendale Residents and Ratepayers’ Association (GRRA) said the idea of a community hall was good and also sought to find out if the residents’ association could use the hall for their meetings.
Mr Biti had bemoaned the lack of a community hall in Mandara saying the community hall would serve a number of purposes.
He said the community hall could be used for meetings, as a classroom for children who are having to travel to Mabvuku and Tafara because they cannot enroll at schools in Greendale and Mandara, as a library or hired out to churches to conduct services.
Children of domestic workers based in Greendale and Mandara are having to travel to Mabvuku and Tafara because they cannot secure places at the three public primary schools in the area.
“In Mandara, there is a small hall which has been turned into a school.
“US$34 000 is not sufficient to build a school but we can build a decent hall.
“The reason why I am in favour of a hall is because it can be used as a study centre by our kids.
“It can also be used as a classroom.
“It can also be rented by churches and it can also host meetings as this one.
“Part of the problem we have in Harare East is we don’t have a community hall.
“In every other country, politicians meet with people in town halls, they are called town hall meetings.
“So my proposition to you is let’s build a hall that can be used as a school, a library, that can be used as something.
“US$34 000 is not enough to do that but it can put us on a foundation,” he said.
