Beitbridge Re-Development Housing Project excites Mnangagwa

Rural Digital Focus

President Mnangagwa has said the Second Republic 'is seized with the project of constructing housing units in all these border towns' so that civil servants and all agencies will have adequate and decent accommodation.

He was speaking during the commissioning of the Beitbridge Re-Development Housing Project today (17 November) in Beitbridge.

The President expressed delight for witnessing the project which was initiated in 2006 but stalled for years now gathering pace.

"I am happy that I have begun this project in 2006 and due to my resilience, I am completing it in 2021. The project stalled in 2008 but was restarted in 2019 under the Second Republic. So far 52 units have been complete and more are on the way" President said.

Housing delivery to Zimbabweans is one of the key promises made to Zimbabweans at the launch of the Second Republic.

Recently, the President launched the Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy which aims to build 225 000 housing units by 2025.

Beitbridge attained town status in 2006.

Beitbridge connects Zimbabwe and South Africa and serves as the transit point for the majority of north-south trade in Southern Africa.

The commissioned houses are for the accommodation of civil servants.

About 16 blocks of flats that are at various stages of development from footing to roof level and when complete, will accommodate 64 families. RDF

Bulawayo -Victoria Falls Road neglected as ministers fly- MP claims

Rural Digital Focus

A legislator has claimed that the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway is neglected "because Ministers do not use these roads but they fly" and do not have an appreciation of the state of the road.

Contributing to the President's State of the Nation Address in the National Assembly on 16 November, legislator L. Sibanda said the state of roads in Matabeleland are in a deplorable state.

"I would start by the road infrastructure; the Bulawayo to Nkayi Road is in a sorry state. The road is inaccessible and it is in disrepair. Of course, the Ministry of Transport has tried because in the past, it has deployed graders and other equipment for road rehabilitation but the road is still not good enough.

"I believe that it is important for the road to be tarred even if it is 5km or 10km, it would be better. Let me also look at the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road which is also in a bad state and has culminated in business people shunning the road" said Sibanda.

 
In July this year, media reports indicated that Zimre Capital has secured US$3 billion funding for a bankable feasibility study for the proposed rehabilitation of the Beitbridge- Bulawayo, and Bulawayo- Victoria Falls highways.

 The 426-kilometer stretch has been experiencing severe damages especially in Hwange and Umguza district with motorists forced to navigate around massive potholes.

In February this year, Government declared the country's road network a State of Disaster and has since embarked on a national road reconstruction blitz that has seen many of the roads being upgraded or rehabilitated.

The government set aside US$400 million to fund the rehabilitation through the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (EPPR).

 

Added Sibanda "The implementation of the devolution of power would be quite useful.

"For instance, Bulawayo to Victoria Falls Road is in a bad state because Ministers do not use these roads but they fly."

The legislator partly blamed haulage trucks for contributing to the poor state of the network.

"There is Hwange Colliery which supplies the nation with coal and thermal power, a lot of haulage trucks ply this road and despite the damage that is done by these haulage trucks, there is no money that they leave for the communities. The transport companies are not contributing any toll fees towards the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo/Victoria Falls Road. Hwange is responsible for supplying coal and the proceeds from the sales are found to be developing and rehabilitating roads".

The rehabilitation of the highways is expected to lay a strong foundation for economic development. RDF

Gwayi-Shangani Dam in pictures

The government recently said that completion of the Gwayi-Shangani dam construction project is now expected in July 2022 owing to foreign currency shortages, constant power cuts and delays in material supply.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matebeleland North, Richard Moyo is on record saying: "Since the dam is now set for completion next year our farmers can go ahead and prepare for planting. This also clears the air as anxiety was rife over what to do given that some farmers were given agricultural inputs." RDF

Beitbridge embrace Intwasa/Pfumvudza

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BEITBRIDGE community has embraced the Intwasa/Pfumvudza farming concept, as almost three-quarters of the wards did not need food assistance from Social Welfare this year, a local legislator has said.

Intwasa/Pfumvudza is a farming concept that uses a climate-proofing agricultural concept that emphasizes on the use of conservation farming techniques to make the most out of small pieces of land.

Essentially, it allows Zimbabweans to get the most of their produce from a small piece of land.

The government has come up with the agriculture revival strategy that is already bearing fruit after the country recorded a bumper harvest in the previous summer cropping season.

Legislator Albert Nguluvhe told Parliament on 11 November that the farming community is appreciative of the farming concept that was not common in the dry region.

"First, I wanted to talk about the issue of Pfumvudza which was not common to us in our culture, especially the people of that area. For the first time, I want to report that we managed to get something. Beitbridge is known to be a very dry place where you will not harvest anything if you plough. However, since the introduction of Pfumvudza" said Nguluvhe.

On the same day in Gokwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Government is targeting to avail $8 billion next year for the scheme.

Last year, $5, 8 billion was released.

Added Nguluvhe: "Last year, we managed to secure something that almost three-quarters of the wards did not need food assistance from Social Welfare. It is only now that we need the food. We want to applaud that move.

 
"As we are talking, Pfumvudza is on the ground again. They were busy distributing seed last week and I want to say we appreciate that. As our area is dry, I would say let us look at this Pfumvudza, I think it will do on small grains".

Gwayi-Shangani Dam, a Game changer

Speaking in the Zimbabwe Parliament early November, Deputy Minister of Finance, Chiduwa said : “This is a project that we have worked on and by December, Gwayi-Shangani Dam will be completed.  This is a project that we started hearing about when we were still children.  He also directed us that by December, 2022, he would want to open a tap of water from Gwayi-Shangani Dam which is the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project. 

“So by December, 2022 in terms of the resource allocation, His Excellency should commission the completion of the whole project and opening water in Bulawayo next year.  So this is where we are and in terms of the implementation, already we have selected six contractors who are already dealing with the pipeline as we complete the dam.  So this is running concurrently but the end is not in water.”

Mat'Land South not left behind- GOVT

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GOVERNMENT has lined up several developmental projects for the Matabeleland South region which are set to be rolled out from 2022 as the Second Republic is leaving no one behind.

Some of the projects include Zhovhe Dam and Thuli-Manyange Dam, which according to the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Chiduwa has been classified as an emotional project.

Speaking at the National Assembly on 4 November, Chiduwa said 'quite a number of programmes have been lined up.

He was responding to legislators who felt that Matabeleland was overlooked in funding for various projects.

"As we get the national resources, we allocate them like that but there is a point that was mentioned that why does it appear like we left out Matabeleland South? I mentioned that we have quite a number of programmes that are coming in terms of what we are currently doing in Matabeleland South.

"There is Zhovhe Dam, we already have plans and we start rolling out that plan from next year - the pipeline from Zhovhe Dam up to Beitbridge. Along the pipeline, we are saying; as we take the pipeline and take water from Zhovhe Dam up to Beitbridge, there should be agricultural activities and there is that plan to ensure that we are going to create a green belt," explained Chiduwa.

Several months ago, while touring the dam project, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said the US$35 million development project includes a 2500-hectare irrigation project and a 63 km water canal from Zhovhe dam to Beitbridge.

The project will also supply commercial farmers with irrigation water on its course to the border town.

At present, communal farmers are using Zhovhe dam to irrigate the Toppick Farm Fisheries.

On Thuli-Manyange dam, Chiduwa is quoted saying by the Parliamentary Hansard: “We have also made a presentation here regarding the construction of Thuli-Manyange Dam.

"Thuli-Manyange Dam, we classified it as an emotional project, a project that is supposed to get priority funding. It is unfortunate that in terms of the development aspirations that we were assigned by His Excellency, we were assigned by His Excellency and he said, "By December 2021, I would want to see Gwayi-Shangani Dam completed".

On completion, the dam is expected to service Vela, Guyu Business Centre, Ntalale Business Centre, Chelesa Business Centre, Sizhubane Barracks, Manama Mission and Business Centre, Sebasa and Mankonkoni irrigation schemes.

Last year, Matabeleland South identified the Thuli – Manyange Dam as one of the high impact projects that should be included in the National Development Strategy 2021-2025.

Public Works Dept 'blocks' Dongamuzi Rural Health Centre construction

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A private contractor engaged and tasked to construct a rural health centre in Dongamuzi, Lupane was stopped by Public Works Department which pledged to build the facility.

The unnamed private contractor had been engaged in October this year but the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Matabeleland North Province office was later advised against going with the contractor, Parliament heard.

During a written submission to question with notice session on 10 November, legislators heard that an annual budget allocation was made to construct Dongamuzi Rural Health Centre in Lupane West Constituency.

Legislator Martin Khumalo sought to find out when construction would commence as funding was availed 'over the year and yet no work has been done to date'.

In response, Deputy Health Minister, John Mangwiro revealed that Public Works Department is stalling the construction.

''A private contractor had been secured to start work around mid-October 2021 but the Public Works Department advised the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Matabeleland North Province, not to engage a private contractor as the department is going to do the construction '' Mangwiro disclosed.

''Up to now, the Public Works Department has not commenced construction of the said clinic. The Ministry of Health and Child Care, Matabeleland North Provincial Director, will submit a full report on the matter''.

In 2018, Matabeleland North provincial medical director Nyasha Masuka was quoted saying the Health ministry was undertaking the Dongamuzi Rural District Health centre with a budget allocation pegged at $100 000.

Masuka said the project was "scheduled to commence as soon as the material is all delivered on-site and the community is eagerly waiting to assist in the construction of the clinics as evidenced by the fact that they have been mobilising local available materials like the pit sand and homemade quarry stones. Cement is being supplied by Unicem and the arrangement to collect it in batches has been made with the supplier''.

Government hospitals and clinics are currently understaffed, poorly equipped, underfunded and face a critical drug shortage, compromising service delivery but the Second Republic is determined to remedy the situation.