With communities, especially the rural ones, struggling to get the services they were promised by the government, one community has taken it upon itself to better their lives.
The rural community at Tshimbupfe outside Vuwani are doing things differently, and looking at the model they have launched, the future looks brighter at the village.
In a historic move on 19 April 2025, the area comprising 13 villages came together for the historic launch of the Do It Yourself (DIY) project.
The launch, which was attended by different stakeholders and graced by the senior traditional leader, Thovhele Tshedza Netshimbupfe, marking a powerful and proud moment in the lives of this close-knit community, was held at the local sports grounds.
Ms Pfarelo Mathivha, DIY spokesperson and one of the coordinators of the project, described the initiative as a new dawn shaped by unity, vision and action.
"As a community, we have suffered a lot while waiting for the government to assist in areas like roads and the supply of water that are not forthcoming. We have suffered severe losses on our vehicles as a result of poor road infrastructure and we felt the money that we are using to repair our cars could better be used to improve our roads. That is where the innovative initiative was born. This movement is a community-led initiative driven by the belief that we hold the power to shape our future with our own hands. The model focuses on road infrastructure as well as improving our environment.
"The initiative is a testament that we can achieve when we move from waiting for change to being the change we want. As a community, we are going to use the community resources to improve our community; all the experts within the community will provide pro bono services to the community," she said.
Mathivha further indicated that they were starting with their roads as a first step. "We are also excited because Thovhele Tshedza Netshimbupfe graced the event and pledged his support for his people. We are going to walk hand in hand with the traditional leadership in the area as well. We say enough is enough, change starts with us and we want to be the example to other communities who are still complaining about not getting service delivery.
"We are making an appeal to everyone who is willing to assist, be it financially or advisory services. We will be grateful if businesspeople and anyone can join hands with us," Mathivha said.
For more information on the project, Mathivha can be contacted at (076) 414 8541.