Online Reporter
Oliver Kazunga
Senior Reporter
A WATER project conceived in 1992 has finally become reality, with Bindura commissioning a 22,1-kilometre pipeline to bolster the town’s unreliable water supply.
The US$3 million Masembura Water Transmission Line, jointly financed by Mutapa Gold Resources and Bindura Municipality and implemented by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), was commissioned yesterday after remaining on the municipality’s plans for 34 years.
Mutapa Gold Resources funded 60 percent of the project, while Bindura Municipality contributed the remaining 40 percent.
The project includes a 22,1km transmission line and a 500 cubic-metre balancing tank, providing Bindura with an additional raw water source from Masembura Dam alongside the Mazoe River.
Guest of honour Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Christopher Magomo said the project would improve the availability, reliability and sustainability of water supplies in Bindura.
He said the town had suffered unreliable supplies because of its dependence on the Mazoe River, with illegal alluvial gold mining upstream affecting raw water quality and increasing treatment costs.
The Masembura source, he said, had already reduced water treatment chemical and overall production costs, while the use of two water sources had shortened the time required to fill reservoirs.
“Water is not merely a social service, it is an economic enabler.
“Bindura can now draw raw water from both Mazoe River and Masembura Dam and we are reliably informed that raw water from Masembura Dam has significantly reduced water treatment chemical costs and overall production costs while the use of two water sources has reduced the time required to fill reservoirs,” he said.
“This is the kind of development we seek to see across the communities; development that brings tangible improvements to the daily lives of our people.”
Minister Magomo, however, said the pipeline was only one component of town’s broader water requirements.
Bindura Town Clerk Mrs Evelyn Madziire said the project had been sitting on the municipality’s shelves since 1992 before funding and implementation partners finally turned the plan into reality.
She described the infrastructure as a “game changer” that would help the town improve service delivery and attract investment.
“More importantly, the project demonstrates the power of PUblic-Private Partnerships that the Second Republic continues to urge local authorities to engage in to improve service delivery.
“Water is the backbone of investment and a major driver of economic activity, without water there is no development to talk about,” she said.
The Masembura Water Transmission Pipeline was not only about addressing a long-standing infrastructure deficit.
And this for Mutapa Gold Resources, the pipeline was also an intervention to avert a potentially serious water crisis.
Mutapa Gold Resources chief executive officer Mr Patrick Maseva-Shayawabaya whose company owns Freda Rebecca Gold Mine in Bindura said the warning signs emerged in April 2025 when Mwenje Dam had fallen to 36 percent capacity.
“That was a clear red light to us that we potentially faced not having processing water at Freda Rebecca Gold Mine in the latter part of the season and that Bindura Town would also not have some water for human consumption,” he said.
At the same time, Masembura Dam was about 90 percent full, presenting an opportunity to diversify Bindura’s water sources.
“As Mwenje Dam was basically depleting, Masembura Dam was at that time around 90 percent full, so we quickly concluded that to avert a disaster of a shortage of water, we had to invest in what was then a long talked-about Masembura Water Pipeline,” he said.
Mr Maseva-Shayawabaya said the project was part of Mutapa’s broader approach to responsible investment and community development.
“Our approach to corporate social responsibility is guided by a simple, but powerful vision and that is to leave the local communities which we operate better than we found them,” he said.
Mr Maseva-Shayawabaya said his organisation believed mining should create value beyond production and profitability by supporting communities surrounding its operations.
“This project reflects our commitment to ensuring that our operational footprint translates to visible and lasting community benefit,” he said.
The existing water treatment plant was designed for a much smaller population and requires expansion, while the distribution network must also be extended to serve growing residential and developing areas.
The project therefore closes one chapter in Bindura’s 34-year water infrastructure journey, while creating a new challenge for the municipality: ensuring treatment and distribution capacity keeps pace with the town’s growth.
