Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
THE construction of a water treatment plant and reticulation system using devolution funds has inspired community members in Lupane to fund a project that has seen over a thousand properties connected to tap water.
Lobhengula suburb is the biggest high density township at the Lupane Business Centre and continues to grow as the Matabeleland North Province capital city expands.
In a report presented to the Matabeleland North Province Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Richard Moyo, during an interface at a local community hall on Monday, the Lupane Local Board (LLB) said another suburb, Mtshibini water’s reticulaton is now at 70 percent completion.
“Council now has a functional town planning department to ensure that there is development control and at the sample time we have developed a master plan that is now awaiting ministerial approval.
“Council has successfully completed water reticulation for 1 095 properties at Lobhengula high density suburb funded by the community. To enhance water supply at Lobengula high density water, one borehole was solarised and an additional water storage was installed by the community,” read the report.
“Consultants were engaged by council to design a conventional waste water treatment plant and reticulation system for the whole town using devolution funds released by Government. Materials such as manhole rings and covers were procured also using devolution funds. It’s also important to note that council is still looking for investors to implement important projects.”
Devolution funds were also used to construct an ablution facility to service the Lupane Bus Terminus to ensure that an average of 1 200 passengers in transit have access to sanitation services.
“For the year 2026 council has resolved to complete a bathroom at the bus terminus while a borehole will be drilled and solarised to ensure a continues water supply.
According to LLB, the town has improved its waste collection capabilities with a weekly collection of refuse at residential and commercial premises.
“Council, with support from devolution funds and its own resources purchased plant and road construction equipment that include a tipper truck, steel roller, a fire tender and a service vehicle.
“We also intend to construct council officials using our own resources and currently the structure is at slab level and we expect it to be at super structure level by the end of the year,” said LLB.
The local authority has cited a number of reasons as the causes in implementing developmental projects and prompt service delivery such as failure by residents to pay utility bills resulting in dry council coffers.
“Council collects revenue of less that 10 percent annually while the few residents that pay use the local currency leaving the local authority burdened with bills that require payment in foreign currency,” it said.
In his remarks, Minister Moyo said the Government is committed to the completion of major projects that will improve the lives of the people of Lupane.
One such project is the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo/Victoria Falls Road.
“All the contractors are still on site as Government forges ahead with the completion of the Bulawayo/Victoria Falls Road. The scale of work might have decreased a bit while the Ministry of Transport (and Infrastructure Development) works with the Ministry of Finance (and Investment Promotion) to release outstanding funds for the contractors,” he said.
“Our timelines to complete the rehabilitation project by the end of the year has not changed,” said Minister Moyo.
“Government took a deliberate move to rehabilitate our roads in phases, as and when local resources become available unlike the using the old model when we waited for Treasury to budget for the full amount needed for the upgrade of each major road.”
The minister said the interface meetings were critical for the people to air our their grievances where they feel shortchanged by local authorities.
“Our people will complain when service delivery is non-existent but they will also thumbs up when local authorities are performing well. Leaders have a duty to listen to the concerns of the people and this is the reason my office facilitated the interface meetings in all the province’s seven districts,” he said.
