Community Cohesion – A Panacea for Social Development and Equal Opportunities

Chipinge Rural District Council has elected Patience Mlambo (ward 18) as the Chairperson and Charles Mugidho (ward 20) as the Vice Chairperson, both of the MDC Alliance party. PYD notes a positive development for a woman councillor to be elected Chairperson for the Chipinge Rural District Council.  There are 15 Zanu PF Councillors, 14 MDC Alliance Councillors and 1 PRC Councillor, making a total of 30 elected Councillors in Chipinge Rural District Council. Patience Mlambo and Charles Mugidho won by virtue of the drawing of the lot beating Councillors Muzamana and Misheck Busangavanye (ward 26) both of Zanu PF. 

This is in terms of section 45 (4) (b) of the Rural District Council Act which states that “If at any meeting at which the chairman or vice-chairman of the council is to be elected, more than one candidate is nominated for that office—             

(a)        the election shall be by secret ballot; and             

(b)        if two or more candidates receive the same number of votes and the addition of one vote would entitle any of those candidates to be declared elected, the result as between those candidates shall be determined by the drawing of lots at that meeting.”  

Councillors Muzamana (ward 16) and Misheck Busangavaye (ward 26) lost the Chairperson and vice Chairperson posts respectively on the backdrop of the drawing of lots when they were tied on the number votes with their respective competitors. 

Chipinge Rural District Council is the principal planning and development agency with its jurisdictional zone that is designed around communal land in the district. The function of the Chipinge Rural District Council is expected to be non-partisan but all inclusive as play a significant role in relation to socio - economic development, from a non – partisan point of view. Thus, the integration imperative (efficiency, effectiveness, coordination) calls for an all-encompassing approach so as to provide leadership, promote community cohesion, stakeholder partnership and be accountable to the community residents.

It is of paramount importance for the elected Councillors and the rest of Chipinge Rural District Council to create community cohesion, unity and sense of purpose for social development to be real and sustainable in the district. This can be realised through working with community stakeholders to develop and implement a shared vision for promoting the well-being of Chipinge district and improving the quality of life of the residents. Thus, transforming people in the district of different political persuasions and socio - economic backgrounds into a community of people drawing inspiration from a common developmental agenda. 

At a very basic level, both the Chairperson and her deputy need to allow the community have the much needed policy interactions outside political party alignment. MDC Alliance and Zanu PF all know what they regard as their political turf. This turf related behaviour was very clear during the campaign period. It was a period of territorial conquests and setting up of political issues around the defense and conquers of party territory. It becomes important to recognize the fact that the instinctive commitment to the defense of political boundaries can easily extend to irrational and intense political battle levels to the detrimental of community development.

Several of the political turf battles that exist in the district created, defined and triggered community vulnerability and social regression. Therefore, Chipinge district need local political leadership that can interact with people of all political persuasion without personal safety and/or issues of livelihoods coming to scrutiny at any setting. The district needs a safe turf for all people.

As the Chipinge Rural District Council design the community’s socio – political and developmental narrative, it is important to prioritize approaches that bring people together in order to create a broader sense of belonging and not polarisation. Its work should reach out across political lines to make development real and sustainable.

A community is and must be inclusive, and the great enemy of community is exclusivity and polarisation. A political group that exclude others on the basis of belonging to a different political group cannot be regarded as a community but a clique who carry the tendencies of defensive  political bastions against the aspirations of a community. In Chipinge, instead of being ignored or denied different political persuasions should be celebrated as a gift and a community value.

PYD put emphasis on the importance of the Chipinge Rural District Council to construct planning services around the needs and aspirations of local communities regardless of political opinion and affiliation. The poverty and social inequality prevalent in the district can be addressed through effective planning, public investment and the establishment of non-partisan developmental agenda. 

The obligation to respect, protect and fulfill rights cuts across political affiliation and people cannot be deprived of their means of subsistence due to the fact of political affiliation. Chipinge Rural District Council is obliged to ensure that the service provision and developmental agenda is enjoyed without discrimination on the grounds of political opinion and/or affiliation. Thus, the new administration should ensure that any new laws, policies and programs do not deny any right either de jure or de facto to selective portions of the population. 

PYD has seen the negative effect of inappropriate resource allocation as normally leads to indirect discrimination within the community, and is advocating for an inclusive approach to community development.