By A Correspondent- The Tonga people have condemned President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Government for neglecting their plight.

The Tonga tribe of Kariba, said they have no electricity although they were displaced in the 1950s to pave way for the Kariba Dam and hydro-power station’s construction.

Chief Negande, born Kausu Mpofu, of the area, accused Mnangagwa’s administration of failing to electrify local households to compensate for their pain and suffering during displacement to allow for the building.

“The issue of electricity has been on the agenda for so many years. We have continuously asked why as the people who were displaced during the construction of the Kariba Dam wall, we don’t have electricity.

“They have sent workmen to hoodwink us by erecting pylons which have not brought electricity at all. E-learning cannot take off, and with Covid-19 nowhere near coming to an end, school pupils are most affected. It’s like pupils starting all over again.”

He lso blamed the government for failing to prioritise concerns of the Tonga people which are never addressed, attributing the neglect due to lack of adequate representation in Parliament and Cabinet.

“We are tired of lodging complaints which are never addressed. They don’t recognise us worthy people and tribalism has taken root in discriminating against the Tonga people.

“I think the situation was going to be different if we had a Tonga legislator or a minister representing us,” added the traditional leader.

Local youths are excluded in wildlife and other environmental conservation programmes, which are undertaken by rangers from other parts of the country who are poaching for wild animals, the chief claimed.