Chronicle EditorMkhululi Ncube, [email protected]
BULILIMA Rural District Council has availed over 300 residential and commercial stands at Figtree Centre, which is expected to boost revenue and promote the growth of the area.
The stands are located just after the tollgate near the Bulawayo–Plumtree Road, expanding from the Hlalani Kuhle housing project.
Bulilima RDC is found in Matabeleland South Province and constitutes mainly rural communities with minimal commercial business activity.
However, the district now has a number of business centres that are sprouting up as more locals and diaspora citizens seek to exploit investment opportunities.
The Figtree urban centre started after the Government launched the Hlalani Kuhle housing program some years ago, which saw around 150 stands being availed for housing.
The Government later handed over the project to the council, which initiated phase two and availed more stands.
In an interview, Bulilima RDC chief executive officer, Mr Billiat Mlauzi, said the availing of more stands was part of efforts to boost business growth while responding to various social services.
“Hlalani Kuhle was phase one and we have moved to phase two where we developed about 200 residential stands with one early childhood development centre,” he said.
“We are now at phase three where we have just allocated 220 residential stands and under this phase, we have two stands for churches.
“We still have a plan for yet another 100 residential stands that will also feature recreational facilities and a section with commercial stands.”
Mr Mlauzi said there were about 36 commercial stands, which are the normal rural service centres stands measuring about 600 square meters.
He said the council needs to get more land if the area is to be expanded as the surrounding land is either under resettlement or under privately owned farms.–@themkhust
Online Reporter