Walter Nyamukondiwa
Mashonaland West Bureau Chief
BEFORE the first slogan echoes at the 23rd Zanu PF National People’s Conference, the groan of yellow and blue machines has already reverberated through Chinhoyi.
The town that hosts the gathering from October 12 to 17 is not the one residents knew a few months ago.
Roads are being resurfaced, ageing water pipes replaced, shopfronts repainted and a university transformed. Government, council and the party say the changes will outlast the delegates.
For years, growing traffic turned a casual drive into a nightmare for motorists and commuters. With about 8 000 delegates expected, many of them driving, congestion was bound to worsen. That is why the roads came first.
Chinhoyi Municipality Director of Works and Engineering Services Engineer Simon Marara said the Government allocated funds for the critical road works.
“We are working on several roads, courtesy of the Government of Zimbabwe,” he said.
The programme covers Herbert-Chitepo Road, a main distributor into the city, and Market Off-Road, which links the Chegutu highway to Gadzema, Hunyani, Chitambo and Mpata and leads to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital.
It also covers two roads serving the institutional area, including Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT). All connect directly to the central business district.
On Herbert-Chitepo, 2.5 kilometres have been primed, with surfacing to follow, and new culverts installed. On Market Off-Road, 900 metres have been surfaced and 1,4 kilometres primed. The TM-CUT Road, which passes the MIPF students’ residence, has been surfaced.
On ZP-Patel Road, about 800 metres have been surfaced, and the remaining 400 metres or so have been primed.
In all, more than 11.1 kilometres of Chinhoyi roads are being rehabilitated, rising to over 16.6 kilometres with sections handled by the Ministry of Transport. Rain has slowed contractors over the past two days.
“Otherwise, most of those sections should have been opened by now to reduce congestion in the city,” said Eng Marara. He said the roads critical to the conference would be ready in time.
A water augmentation programme backed by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing targets a problem residents know well. Some areas have gone for weeks without water, while others get it only intermittently.
“We have capacity to meet 22 million litres of domestic demand of 64 million litres a day,” said Eng Marara.
The first phase replaces about 105 kilometres of asbestos cement pipes with longer-lasting PVC, mainly in the old locations, to cut losses. Non-revenue water stands at about 38 percent. The second phase expands treatment capacity from 22 million litres to 48 million litres, and later 84 million litres.
“That would see us having capacity to deliver potable water uninterrupted to everyone in Chinhoyi,” he said.
Nowhere is the transformation clearer than at CUT. Its dormitories have been spruced up, and its water treatment and reticulation system upgraded to 800 000 litres a day.
The stadium is being upgraded, perimeter fencing is going up, and a new police post under construction is expected to be complete before the conference begins.
Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman Cde Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said the university had gained more than any other institution.
“CUT has emerged as the single biggest beneficiary institution, giving comfort for students for years to come,” she said.
Chinhoyi Town Clerk Mr Biriat Tasarira said the Central Government directed that urban areas look proper and attractive, and the council has been asking property owners to repaint and revamp their buildings.
Some have finished, others are still working and some are yet to respond, so council is following up.
Vendors have been moved from undesignated spots to designated trading places. A few remain in undesignated areas, and council continues to work with their associations.
“Generally, we are happy because a number of changes are happening within the township area,” said Mr Tasarira.
The party has closely monitored progress. The Zanu PF Joint Conference Coordinating Committee, led by national chairman Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, has been visiting fortnightly to assess progress.
Party Secretary-General Advocate Jacob Mudenda has also visited the venue to check on preparedness. For the province, hosting the conference goes beyond the six days that it will be in session.
“We are excited that we are hosting the 23rd Annual National People’s Conference as a province, but most importantly, we are benefiting from major projects,” said Cde Mliswa-Chikoka.
“Residents will have a lasting legacy through flagship projects such as roads and water augmentation.”
Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo said the economic and downstream impact of the conference would leave a lasting legacy.
Residents have welcomed the changes and want the momentum to continue after the delegates leave.
“We are happy about the positive changes that are happening in our town, and we would like to thank the Government, the ruling party Zanu PF and everyone who is working hard to make things happen,” said resident and motorist Mr Johnson Tasiya.
“There has been a lot of congestion lately, and we truly understand why because works of this magnitude can bring temporary discomfort, but we know that in the long run, things will be much better.”
Chinhoyi Combined Residents Association chairperson Mr Tendai Musonza said: “We have not seen this level of activity in recent years and as far as I am concerned, Chinhoyi has never seen such development and positive growth.”
“This conference has taken us somewhere better, and we hope that our council and other relevant authorities will maintain the momentum so that going forward the standards are maintained or even progressively surpassed.”
When delegates go back home, the new roads, pipes and painted walls will remain. For Chinhoyi, the task is to keep them that way.
