‘Maziwisa needs to do more for Highfield’

By The Standard | Oct. 2, 2017 | 4 Min read

It is made up mostly of old houses some of which were built in the 1930s, and a majority of senior citizens in Harare live in Highfield.

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The constituency is highly populated, there is a hive of activity with most people having embarked on self-help projects, especially around Gazaland. This is as a result of the high unemployment levels.

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

Burst sewer pipes (Local Government minister)
Council debts that have accumulated on old people who cannot pay (Social Service minister)
Dilapidated road infrastructure (Transport minister)
Operating spaces for small-to- medium enterprises SMEs and vendors (SMEs minister)
Unemployment

A study of the parliamentary publication of debates, the Hansard reveals that Highfield West MP Psychology Maziwisa has disappointingly been mum in Parliament even though he appears to be very vocal at other forums like Zanu PF meetings and talk forums where he is asked to make speeches defending Zanu PF.

In the National Assembly, Maziwisa has asked very few questions, pertaining to his constituency and has not contributed much to debate.

Being a young and enthusiastic person, expectations were high that Maziwisa would be one of the most vocal MPs in the National Assembly, but he is not.

Asked why he has not really been vocal during National Assembly sittings, Maziwisa responded: “Well, I have made some contributions in Parliament, but I only make contributions when it is necessary to do so and not just for the sake of making noise or seeking attention.”

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Despite that in his legislative role in Parliament, he has not done much at constituency level, people who were interviewed said Maziwisa is very visible.

Most of the visibility though, has nothing to do with explaining Bills and other important Parliament matters to people, but it seems it has to do with assisting people with food handouts and projects. What people in Highfield West said about their MP:

Nyasha Manzwi (Engineering)

Yes, I know my MP and I think he is doing well. He drilled a borehole in Zororo. Our only wish is that he drills another one here in Engineering, like he did in Zororo, so that we don’t have to walk distances to get clean water, it’s quite a distance. Personally, I think I will vote for him. I can’t really say that he has done an excellent job, but at least I see some progress.

Theresa Marata (Gazaland)

I don’t know if people will vote for him again in 2018, but we will see. He is doing what he can and has helped elderly people by giving them rice. We hear some people saying that he has even given them money to pay rentals? Personally, I have never attended any of his meetings.

Jabulani Juta (Canaan) In terms of schools, I think the MP should look into the issue of textbooks and the new curriculum. We don’t have enough textbooks. The MP should raise the issue of bad roads in Highfield West. There are a lot of potholes and it is difficult to drive.

Joshua Muhera (Egypt)

His performance has been average. Some challenges are there, but maybe some of them are beyond him. There are issues to do with sewages. The good thing is that he links with people and he is always around. I want to commend him for doing what other MPs could not do. He linked with the people and he understands them. But, we expect him to raise such issues during question time in Parliament.

Maziwisa’s response

As an MP, I have managed to strike a good working relationship with the people of Highfield and I love them and they also seem to be fond of me too.

I have a constituency office and virtually everyone in Highfield has my cellphone number. Money is a problem in Zimbabwe so I have had to depend on government support through its various ministries to help deal with some of our challenges, and they have been very responsive.

In this regard, I would like to thank the Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere who has been very supportive. The fact that I represent a party led by President Robert Mugabe, the party of freedom, education and empowerment is a powerful combination and almost a lethal combination. I am absolutely humbled by this and look forward to consolidating on our gains so far going into 2018.

Most of the challenges in my constituency have been caused by the opposition who have been playing politics by using council to target perceived Zanu PF supporters.

They have also failed to deliver basic services like water, refuse collection and road rehabilitation with the result that all these things have ended up being my responsibility when naturally they should be the duty of the MDC-T councillors in my constituency.

It has been a nightmare from that perspective, but that has conversely given me the chance to prove my leadership skills which, it is fair to say, I think I have managed to do against all odds.