Glen Norah MP missing in action

By The Standard | Oct. 30, 2017 | 3 Min read

Glen Norah high-density suburb has a population of plus or minus 60 000. The constituency has two secondary schools — one of them offering A Level studies, seven primary schools and one clinic in ward 27, according to local MP Webster Maondera.

By MUNESU NYAKUDYA

The constituency is also home to St Peter’s Kubatana, which is a Jesuit institution, (a branch of the Roman Catholic Church), established in 1963 and includes a technical school.

Some of the notable personalities that have come out of Glen Norah include musicians Desmond Chideme, popularly known as Stunner, Alexio Kawara, footballer Tinashe Nengomasha and MDC legislator Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.

Problems in the constituency that the MP could highlight in Parliament as oral or written questions include:

— High unemployment and poverty levels (Home Affairs minister)

— Failure by power utility Zesa Holdings to complete installation of prepaid meters (Energy minister)

— Lack of vehicles at Glen Norah Police Station (Home Affairs minister)

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— Orphans due to the Aids scourge (Public Service and Social Welfare minister)

— Dilapidated road infrastructure (Transport or Local Government minister)

— Child marriages (Women Affairs and Gender, Minister of Justice minister)

— Delay by government to regularise a new settlement (Local Government minister)

— Poor and inadequate facilities at most schools (Education minister)

— Inadequate public health facilities (Health minister)

Performance of the MP

Maondera sits in the Local Government and Transport committees, where he is quite vocal and is active when it comes to Parliament legislative business.

In the National Assembly, he has managed to ask several questions pertaining to diverse problems affecting the general populace, but members of his constituency described him as invisible.

What people from Glen Norah said about their MP

Sandra Chinembiri (Glen Norah B)

We don’t even see him in Glen Norah. He doesn’t even pay attention to what happens in our suburb. Along High Glen Road, people are being run over by cars quite often because there are no speed humps.

We expect him to speak out about such issues during Parliament’s question and answer sessions.

Runnington Spears (Glen Norah B)

I know him, but he chooses people according to political affiliation. If you do not belong to his party, he won’t recognise you, yet he is supposed to represent everyone who resides in his constituency. The truth is we only see him around election time.

Paul Phiri (Glen Norah C)

He does not visit the people and I do not think he is concerned about their well-being. Recently, people were evicted, but he didn’t come to meet the victims. As an MP, he should be concerned about the well-being of his people.

Jim Makuja (Glen Norah A)

We only see him on television during parliamentary debates. Right now, there is voter registration and we don’t even know where it’s taking place in our area. Isn’t it his job to make sure that we know, so that we vote him back?

Martin Matakanyore (Glen Norah A)

I do not know him personally, but I only see him driving through. However, I think he has done his job, as I see him participating in Parliament during live debates on television. He is the one that helped renovate some roads, and he also drilled a few boreholes.

Maondera’s response

Under trying and very difficult circumstances, I think I have accomplished something that warrants me to be voted back into office.

I have pushed for the rehabilitation of High Glen and Gumbe roads. I pressed Zesa Holdings to install prepaid meters at some houses, although a lot still needs to be done.

I rehabilitated some boreholes for the communities to get safe drinking water.

I also assisted in the setting-up of housing projects and we have seven housing co-operatives, which are at different levels of development.

For all these projects, I sourced the funds from my own coffers and from development partners. I actually stay in the constituency. I hold feedback meetings at least after every two months. I am going to contest in the next elections in order to finish the projects in a New Zimbabwe.