Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
Senate President Honourable Mabel Chinomona has urged senators and legislators to remain in touch with their constituencies to ensure the sustainable development of local communities.
The call was made at the official opening of Mandave Senatorial Constituency House in Mount Darwin this Saturday. It has become the first senatorial office in the country marking a significant milestone regarding representation of the electorate.
Commissioning the new office, Hon Chinomona challenged senators and legislators to keep in touch with the people they represent to understand and promote developmental needs.
“‘Some legislators tend to forget going to their constituencies for a week or two, then it turns to six months, then they relax. There is a lot of work at parliament so, as legislators go to committees and carry out a lot of work in their committees. Therefore what Senator Makamba has done is a good thing, because when he is at parliament or at committees he leaves people at the office continuing to do work and they can reach out to him,” she said.
Senator James Makamba committed to work tirelessly with all the area legislators to address challenges facing the people and seize any growth opportunities.
“It is a humbling experience to have been elected by the people of Mashonaland Central province and I am committed to serving you with dedication and integrity. Establishing this office in Mount Darwin rather than in bigger towns like Bindura is a deliberate choice. It reflects my commitment to being present and accessible to the people who entrusted me in this role. To the residents of Mt. Darwin, I assure you that, as your senator I am there to listen, understand and act on behalf of this community,” he said.
Mount Darwin South legislator, Honourable Kudakwashe Mupamhamanga, who is also Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, development and Vocational Training, welcomed the establishment of the new constituency office.
“Let’s use the chance that we have when we go to Mandave house to conceive projects that promote widespread development and that support development. We welcome this development in our area. We support this initiative and it is going to help us advance our constituency,” he said.
Mount Darwin has four legislative constituencies and one senatorial constituency with the office expected to serve as shelter during meetings, a repository of information being cascaded down from the ruling party ZANU PF party and government as well as a library for record keeping of developmental projects.
