By Patience Gondo
BEITBRIDGE District Development Coordinator Sikhangezile Mafu has decried the absence of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sub-Committee report during the Beitbridge Rural District Council development committee meeting.
The matter arose on Wednesday during presentations of second-quarter progress reports when committee representative from Food and security Tashaya Nevison told the meeting that the committee did not have a report.
“The chairperson of the committee from Agritex has gone on a field trip and Forestry officials are also in the field,” Nevison said.
Mafu told the meeting that this was the second RDC committee meeting where the Committee had failed to submit a report.
“If Mawocha Masauso (late Beitbridge District Agritex Officer) was still there we would have seen the report. May his soul continue to rest in peace,” Mafu said.
She said the committee should schedule other programmes after Rural District Council meetings.
“Other programmes come after RDC,” she said.
RDC Assistant Officer Jahson Mugodzwa said continous failure to submit reports is a sign of non compliance.
“I previously wrote a letter when a similar problem happened sometime back, and I think it is time we ask them if they still want to serve the government that we are serving,” Mugodzwa said.
Pardon Hungwe also questioned why committee members were not meeting regularly if they were committed members of the committee.
Chairpersons from the other six sub-committees successfully presented their 2026 cumulative progress reports.
In Zimbabwe, the District Development Coordinator (DDC) receives reports from Rural District Development Committee (RDDC) members to effectively coordinate, monitor, and synchronize rural development programs with national policies.
The DDC acts as the primary government representative at the district level, serving under the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.
The main reasons for these reporting structures include monitoring and evaluation were the DDC tracks the progress of community projects (such as WASH, roads, and agriculture) to ensure that district goals align with national frameworks like the National Development Strategy (NDS).
The DDC collects data from various ministry representatives and local authorities help manage and distribute district resources efficiently.
The RDDC acts as an advisory body pooling reports from different sectors (health, education, agriculture), the DDC can draft comprehensive District Development Plans.