Its been two years since Chimanimani was hit by Cyclone Idai. This disaster killed at least 185 people and left 270 000 in dire need of humanitarian aid as was revealed by the World Food Program.
At that tragic time two years ago, Econet Wireless pledged to build houses or the survivors of the Cyclone. Fast forward to 2021 and the rehabilitation of infrastructure in areas such as, Chimanimani, Bikita and Tsholotsho, which were some of the most affected by the Cyclone has not yet begun.
This development or lack thereof was revealed by a report presented by the joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on Local Government and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security before the National Assembly on Thursday. The reports aim was to state the progress that had ben made in constructing Covid19 centers in areas that are affected by floods.
The report stated:
“The committee was informed during its first fact-finding visit to Chimanimani District in July 2019 that Econet Wireless had pledged to build houses for the survivors of Cyclone Idai. Upon enquiry on the progress made in that regard, the committee was notified that there was a disagreement between Econet and government pertaining to the ownership of the land
The district development coordinator informed the committee that Econet Wireless wanted title to the land on which the houses would be built, but the government was against that idea. Giving title of the land to Econet Wireless implied that government was ceding ownership and control of land as well as the project to Econet Wireless. Resultantly, due to that impasse, the project had stalled.”
This stalling was taking place in spite of the fact that, as the report says,
“The committee gathered from the survivors that, indeed, they were living in conditions of severe food insecurity and this situation was exacerbated by the alleged rampant corruption in the selection of beneficiaries and the distribution of food aid”
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