By Vumani Mthiyane
Aspiring Zanu PF candidate for Ward 7 Gwanda Urban has drilled a borehole in the ward as he battles to woo voters ahead of the March 26 by-election.
Thembani Mathuthu who is vying for the post which fell vacant after the then Gwanda Mayor and incumbent councillor Jastone Mazhale was recalled in 2020 said he chose to start by addressing the water issue.
Gwanda has a perennial water challenge which has been made worse by the continuous wrangle between the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and Gwanda Municipality over the ownership of water treatment plant.
“Unlike other politicians who promise to deliver after going into the office, I fulfil my manifesto first in order to build confidence with the electorate. Secondly, I like those who criticise me, especially members of opposition parties because that strengthens me. My idea is to improve access to clean, safe drinking water as enshrined in the country’s constitution,” said Mathuthu.
He added that he will drill two more boreholes in the ward.
The aspiring candidate who is using the door-to-door campaign strategy is not only focusing on addressing water challenges faced by the people in his ward but also the road infrastructure.
“There is an issue of streetlights and another road which is totally bad. I will either redo the road or put up streetlights to improve the lighting system because criminals usually take advantage of darkness,” he said.
However, Mathuthu’s critics are accusing him of using state resources to campaign for the vacant post thereby creating an unfair political playing field.
