Bazha community within touching distance of own registry office
Innocent Mgutshini
MATOBO – Tired of having to travel long distances to access the registry office in Kezi, Bazha residents resolved to pool resources to build their own registry office. The initiative is now close to paying dividends as villagers are on the cusp of completing the building.
Community members have been struggling to obtain key documents such as birth certificates, national identity cards, burial orders and death certificates since time immemorial. The nearest registry in Kezi happens to be 60 km away from Bazha, meaning villagers have had to part with substantial amounts of money to meet the everrising transport costs.
It is against this background that the community members decided to put an end to their misery and started laying the foundation in 2017 although the pegging was done in 2012. Today, the building stands tall, needing only a few final touches to become the finished product that the community has longed for over the years.
Prroject Secretary, Mr Russel Gordon Ncube told Community Podium that community members are working their socks off to complete the structure that has become an object of pride in the area.
” The structure is at completion level but there is still some work to be done. Lack of adequate funds is stymieing the work and delaying the completion of the building.We need window frames, burglar’s bars, window panes, doors, tiles and paint so that we complete our structure in a standard way .We also need fencing so as to secure our structure and keep animals away. Water is a necessity hence there is need for a jojo tank and a pumping system.
We appreciate all those who have responded positively to our cry for help and proceeded to donate building materials. The unity displayed by the community shows that we are going somewhere in terms of developing our marginalized communities. We definitely need more help from well-wishers as we are supposed to start a cottage for the registry staff,” he said.
The Councillor of Ward 18, Weed Moyo said he is proud of community efforts in the quest for easy access to registry services. He also emphasized the need for stronger network connectivity around the building for ease of operations.
” We were promised community development funding (CDF) for doors and windows but we haven’t received anything as yet. We are at a standstill situation.There are a lot of challenges we come across as a community especially network connection problems.For the registry office to function well the systems need stronger network connectivity,” he said.
“Thank you very much, we are happy to say we witnessed an upsurge in donations from members soon after Community Podium publicised our initiative. A lot of people developed interest and joined our WhatsApp group. We are pleased to see elders ,women ,and youth united for a common cause,” said Chairperson of the registry project, Mr Delisani Sibanda.
Sibanda bemoaned the stifling effect of Covid 19 on the project and hinted that more such developmental community projects were in the pipeline.
“Had it not been for the Covid 19 induced lockdowns, we would have completed the project by now and started on another one. I am happy with the progress so far. We would like to appreciate the diasporans especially from South Africa who have been supporting us with contributions in hard times and our Fumugwe neighbours who also contributed cement.
We also give thanks to our MP, Edgar Moyo who has donated some doors. Going foward, we encourage other Bazha residents to join the team and work together in developing our community as we also intend to build a cottage, which is our next project. We are therefore calling for all well wishers to assist the community members attain their lifelong dream,” said Sibanda.
