Beitbridge upgrading

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Beitbridge is working on a local development plan to transform the town into a modern medium city and replace the 1984 document they are relying on.
Town engineer Mr Maxwell Karenyi said in an interview last Thursday that they would spend US$122 000 on the project.
He said they had started work on a cost-benefit analysis that would see them using either the department of physical planning or a consultant to implement the project.

“The developments we have at the moment are an ad-hoc and outside the 1984 development plan. It is common knowledge that the rapid development of the town is out of the previous plan.

“At the moment we have a population of 42 218 and a daily transit population of not less than 10 000. The town is the face of the nation and we need to set our development plans with that in mind,” he said.

Eng Karenyi said at least US$96 000 would be spent on aerial mapping while US$26 000 would be used for other logistics.
“We already have our own master plan but we need to come up with a development plan to put the other works into motion,” he said.

Eng Karenyi said in 2003, the then Beitbridge Rural District Council tried to come up with a similar plan but failed to meet Government standards.

Beitbridge was granted town status in April 2006 through the National Economic Development Programme.
The town is the busiest inland port of entry in Africa.