Ishmael Mkandla
THE Ward 6 community in Ntabazinduna has taken ownership of their own development and partnered with their local council to build a clinic in the area.
The community which falls under Umguza district played a huge role in the construction of the local clinic, a development that should see them travelling shorter distances to access basic health care.
A few years ago, Umguza Rural District Council eventually constructed a clinic in the ward following long standing complaints from villagers who were traveling long distances to only one health facility, Ntabazinduna clinic.
However, the project stalled owing to lack of financial resources. Construction resumed earlier this year through the support of the community.
A villager, Trish Masuku, said women were the biggest beneficiaries of this project.
“As women we are the biggest beneficiary of this project, because normally we face a lot of challenges pertaining to health care.
“This clinic is set to be of help to people coming from such villages as Jabulani, Thokozani and those from new stands who have been traveling more than 10 kilometers to Ntabazinduna clinic. It’s also a positive development for expecting women considering transport challenges that we face in this area,” she said.
One of the village committee members Chirisa said the clinic was the greatest thing ever to happen to the community.
“The clinic has come at the right time, it is going to assist many households including ward 7 and even ward 5. As a community we saw it fit to partner with the local authority to ensure that we see the completion of this project. We have a committee that we created that monitors progress here and we provide the necessary support. Inyanda, Mahaja, Khayisa, Jabulani Thokozani and others that surround this clinic are also going to benefit,” he said.
Councilor Alaxander Mnkandla said: “We are hoping to finish it soon, when the devolution funds were unveiled for us we managed to start pushing. Villagers have been traveling long distances to get to the nearby health care. But this is now nearer so it is going to help us especially women because they are the ones who bear most of the burdens.”
