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Prosper Dembedza-Herald Correspondent
A LOCAL property development company, Wistmer Investments, has approached the Chitungwiza Municipality with a comprehensive 10-year development masterplan to create a smart and green city.
The project centres around nine key essential sectors aimed at changing Chitungwiza into a self-sustaining modern city.
Under the proposal, Wistmer has undertaken to unconditionally donate a masterplan to Chitungwiza ahead of the June 30 deadline, set by President Mnangagwa, for local authorities to produce development blueprints.
The masterplans are seen as vital for the social and economic development of municipalities across the country as they create coherent plans for sustainable land use and development.
In the proposal, Wistmer intends to put an end to the chronic water shortages faced by Chitungwiza, through conveying water from the Muchekeranwa-Wenimbi channel as well as the Jonasi aquifer, to bring potable water to residents.
“In collaboration with ZINWA (Zimbabwe National Water Authority), Wistmer has already started on the Jonasi project by sinking aquifer holes and an inter-ministerial team visited the site on February 21, 2024.
“The company seeks to enhance the quality of life of the people of Chitungwiza by making a donation worth at least US$3 million towards the provision of equipment for solid waste management, thus helping end the environmental degradation which has plagued Chitungwiza for several years.
“Wistmer wants to work with the municipality to revamp the sewer reticulation system thus putting an end to the persistent sewer bursts that have created health hazards,” reads part of the proposal.
Wistmer said it will work with council and residents to bring sanity to markets in Chitungwiza, by modernising existing structures and developing modern ICT systems to bring convenience to traders and customers.
Council has already debated the proposal, with the councillors expressing overall satisfaction with it. The private company also wants to help renovate Chibuku Stadium to enable it to host Premier Soccer League matches as was the case in the late 1990s, when teams like Darryn T and Blue Swallows played their home matches there.
“To enhance sports development in the city, Wistmer intends to construct a modern high-performance centre at Unit L.
“To solve the problem of high unemployment and to boost the local economy, Wistmer is proposing to create a thriving light industrial sector in Chitungwiza, so residents can create products for revenue generation.
“Instead of people leaving Chitungwiza for Harare everyday to make a living, people will be able to live, work and earn a decent living in their hometown. It is bedevilled by the encroachment of unregularised structures onto servitudes and waterways, thus exacerbating the challenges faced by the town and putting a strain on service delivery.”
The company said it was extremely difficult to provide proper municipal services to households that were not regularised.
Regularisation would enable the municipality to bring order, improve service delivery, build a proper road network and identify areas where tall buildings could be built, thus saving land and bringing the look and feel of a city.
Online Reporter