AARON GONO
MASVINGO RURAL-Veteran businesswoman, politician and women empowerment champion, Sarah Munemo has set her sights on electrifying three main centres in ward 13 where she is the Zanu PF candidate if elected on August 23.
Munemo will tussle it out against Citizens Coalition for Change candidate, Jonah Chivezah.
“Ward 13 despite being only 47km from Masvingo CBD is one of the least developed areas, no borehole no meaningful feeder roads, no clinics.
“The area has not received any meaningful development from Devolution funds, basically everything is literally just down.
“With the massive exposure l have gained through various platforms l have been exposed to over the past 20 years, l will be able to influence lots of developmental programs including setting up business platforms for both the youth and women,” said a confident Munemo who has travelled to all corners of the world in pursuit of women empowerment.
“The ward has three main centres namely Barahanga, Chikarudzo and Machitenda.
“We also would like to have Barahanga School, Nekanda Shopping Centre and Chikarudzo Shopping Centre electrified in the shortest period of time once elected into office.
“The three places are peri urban and it is my wish based on the vast experience l gained during my time as the Secretary General for the Chamber of Small to Medium Enterprises and the network established l would like to transform Ward 13 to a horticulture hub. Because of our proximity to Masvingo urban we are supposed to be the major suppliers of all horticulture products for the city,” she told The Midweek Watch.
Munemo said she joined politics at a youthful age as a Zanu PF member soon after the country gained Independence.
From 1989 to 2011 while in Bulawayo she held various posts including social welfare, education and business portfolios.
Munemo rose through the ranks from as she was actively involved in Business Politics to national level and in 2021 she was elected to lead the Women’s League for Barahanga District.
Currently Munemo has just embarked on a massive Banana Plantation project with 500 plants which will be increased by another 1000 in the next 12 months for the formation of the valley which is set to be economically vibrant and self-sustaining.
“The youth need to be socially and economically empowered through integration into the mainstream economy. They need to be encouraged to participate in various government programmes instead of being onlookers they must be active participants and stop wailing from the terraces.
“The ward has 3 main feeder roads and it’s my wish that once in office these roads must be well serviced and maintained for ease movements of both goods and people.
“We also intent to drill at least 9 boreholes within the ward so that villagers have access to clean water for household use,” said Munemo who also runs a number of enterprises in Zaka.
When asked on where she will get the funds, Munemio said she will bank on President Mnangagwa’s devolution program which has seen villages being transformed throughout the country.
“Our President E.D Mnangagwa has a vision and one of them is to see rural communities being transformed through the drilling of boreholes and resuscitation of irrigation schemes as well as electrification of schools.
“I would like to see local communities benefiting from the natural resources that are everywhere,” she added.
“In ward 13 we have so many challenges due to constrained financial resources and knowledge gaps.
“One of the things l would tackle once in office is to enlighten people on how the National Development Strategy works in line with Local Governance. It is clear that our people do not understand how local governance operates hence some of the developmental issues lagging behind are more to do with the knowledge gaps than financial resources.
“For example, there are irrigation schemes which are operating without any consistency hence they don’t have much impact economically.
“We have community gardens and these are my prime targets to restructure their production cycle to relate to the market dynamics. This will economically empower communities in the short and long run,” said the ever-smiling political assassin.
Munemo said when it comes to implementation of developmental projects, she will not discriminate anyone based on political or religious affiliation.
“I am a daughter of this land and it would be foolhardy for me to segregate anyone based on their political or religious affiliation.
“Everyone from this community is my relative in one way or the other so I will embrace everyone, as our President E.D Mnangagwa has said; we will not leave anyone behind, I am for all body who is pro-development. We don’t want to by standers but participants, let’s work for our country, lets get our hands dirty and stop complaining, I am goal getter and I want people to grab opportunities everywhere,” said Munemo on a parting shot.
