$20m for Chinhoyi courts project

Herald Correspondent
The one stop judicial centre in Chinhoyi will open its doors in October as the project nears completion, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) secretary, Walter Chikwana has said.

A Chinese-based company Hua Long Construction is the main contractor.

Mr Chikwana said the desire of the JSC and the entire Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs was to have the project finalised before the end of the year.

He said Treasury had released $20 million towards its completion and payment of outstanding balances.

“I can confirm that this project which is above 85 percent to completion, will be completed by year end,” he said.

Mr Chikwana said the project which seeks to address improper housing of the provincial court at old Chinhoyi Hospital, will have eight court rooms, support staff offices, a number of holding cells with state-of-the-art ablution services, a library, boardroom and decent public gathering places.

Mashonaland West Minister, Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said the project exemplifies the close ties between Zimbabwe and China as Hua Long was from Mashonaland West’s sister province, Gansu.

She said a number of projects were also lined up across the province from the Chinese companies.

Hua Long Construction deputy general manager, Mr Zhang said the new project will be handed over in the next five months.

Currently, 30 people are working at the site and are provided with enough PPEs, while mandatory screening and sanitisation is done.

Lathe and Patricks Engineering managing director, Isaac Tapfuma whose company is sub-contracted by the Hua Long said his company would finish working on the kitchen and other rooms within a month.