Staff Reporter

ZANU PF Secretary for War Veterans Affairs, Cde Douglas Mahiya, has challenged ZANU PF legislators in Matabeleland South Province to make good use the Parliamentary engineered Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

He was speaking during the revolutionary party’s Matabeleland South Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting held last Saturday at Esigodini in Umzingwane District.

Approximately $420 million was allocated to CDF under the 2021 budget, translating to about $2 million per constituency, up from the previous $200 000.

“Members of Parliament (MPs) should fully utilise the CDF for the benefit of the people. Do not let that money go back take it and start building in areas where people are because it helps you the MPs because once you engage with the people and know what people want, after building you have demonstrated how committed you are to people’s problems.

“We know that a lot needs to be done for you to get the money but we asked for the processing to be eased a bit if you incur problems seek guidance from the Party,” Cde Mahiya said.

Cde Mahiya went on say that the Devolution Fund would go a long way towards enhancing community participation in the development agenda ushered in by the Second Republic.

“The New Dispensation came with the Devolution Programme and Provincial Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution are there for people to listen to people as they speak out on what they want developed in their communities. The CDF is used to build what people want. This is something the Old Dispensation never did. The Devolution Fund is working on what you want as a Province,” Cde Mahiya said.