THIS week, there was a lot of hullabaloo after NewsDay published that some local authorities could be misusing devolution funds after Chenzou Community Hall, in Zvimba, was listed as one of the projects funded by devolution funds, yet the same hall was shown to Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Marian Chombo as one of the projects funded by the Chinese under China Aid in the province last year.
To prove their claim, the Chinese put up “China Aid” stickers, that are still visible to date, on the walls of the “bush hall”.
This prompted NewsDay Weekender to investigate who really constructed Chenzou Community Hall in Chirimanyemba, Zvimba West.
Since 2016, Chenzou Community Hall had been under construction until last year as villagers slowly toiled, contributed their labour and used local resources after the late local councillor, Lancelot Jochore, started the project using meagre resources from part of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) provided by the then local Member of Parliament and Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.
The hall was never completed, but over the years and at different stages, the villagers toiled until the structure was somehow usable.
Though not a state-of-the-art building, villagers were happy to gather at the hall for different reasons, ranging from discussing issues affecting the community to distribution of food aid and farming inputs.
Over time, the building also started to dilapidate, with the roof being the most affected.
The floor also needed attention as it was never done perfectly due to lack of resources like cement.
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All this while, Zvimba Rural District Council was never involved.
Villager Senzeni Jochore, who was there when it all begun in 2016, said the community hall was part of them as they toiled to build the hall alone without any help.
“The hall belongs to the community. This hall is a result of our sweat,” recalled Senzeni.
“We used to carry river and pit sand from the nearby stream using scotch-carts and we also contributed cash when the need demanded.”
The then village development secretary of the project, Raphel Chinatse, confirmed that at first, it was hard as villagers sacrificed their little resources and time building the hall as CDF funds were inadequate to cover everything, but they soldiered on.
“The villagers contributed their labour and local resources like river and pit sand using wheelbarrows and scotchcarts,” Chinatse said.
In 2018, Jochore lost to Andrew Chirenda as councillor and the new councillor was determined to complete the project.
Then came the “Good Samaritan” in the form of the Chinese early last year.
Chirenda said when the Chinese came to the area funding a water project, “they inquired about the hall and we told them that the building needed roofing and flooring”.
The Chinese requested a quotation after which they provided US$2 000 for the completion of the project.
Chirenda said the Chinese gave them US$2 000 to finish the hall and the money was handed directly to the community.
“When the Chinese came here for the water project, they asked us about the hall and we told them that the unfinished hall needed proper flooring and roofing,” he said.
“They asked us to get a quotation and it amounted to US$2 000, which they handed over to the community without the involvement of council.”
Chirenda said they put the money to good use as requested and finished the hall.
By donating US$2 000, the Chinese claimed to have fully funded the project as they pasted the building with “China Aid” stickers and informed Chombo that the hall was a Chinese-funded project.
But Zvimba RDC, in order to impress the visiting secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution, Tafadzwa Muguti, presented the hall as one of the projects funded by devolution funds.
When reminded that the same hall was listed as a Chinese-funded project during a tour of the projects by Chombo last year, Zvimba RDC chief executive officer Enias Chidhakwa said the Chinese “misinformed” since the hall was built using devolution funds.
This week, when asked to clarify because of the ownership wrangle, Chidhakwa said council “committed” devolution funding of Chenzou Hall to the tune of US$30 000, a project which was implemented on an all-stakeholders approach with government, Zvimba RDC and the community.
Chidhakwa then later confirmed that the Chinese had donated US$2 000, but it was a community initiative without council’s involvement.
He said the Chinese were brought through the back door by the community.
“It is the community who sought assistance of US$2 000 from the Chinese to finance flooring labour only. Council was never involved in sourcing for that money,” Chidhakwa said.
Said Chirenda: “We were given US$2 000 by the Chinese and that money went a long way as we managed to do flooring, roofing and paying labour, but I can’t answer for what the outrageous US$30 000 from council was used for.
“All that I know is the council bought some outside bricks since inside farm bricks were provided by the villagers and some bags of cement including transportation of the materials.”
Pressed further to provide a breakdown of how the council’s “outrageous” US$30 000 was used, Chidhakwa referred to housing director Onias Makanda, who was not picking up calls.
Another villager, who wanted to be identified as Mafirakureva for fear of victimisation, was shocked by the council claim that they poured US$30 000 to construct Chenzou Community Hall.
“Council is not telling the truth because the money they are mentioning is too big to have been used on that rural hall,” Mafirakureva said.
“Council must account for the money properly not to lie.”
Until and unless council comes clean on how the US$30 000 was used on the construction of the community hall, villagers will not stop speculating on how the money was spent as some are already calling for a commission of inquiry like what happened to Harare City Council.
