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Factmore Dzobo
IN one of his plays, Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare opines that: “There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune”. People in Matabeleland are of the view that such a tide mentioned above is increasing fast in the region, following the inter-provincial indaba crisis workshop held in Bulawayo recently.
The crisis indaba attracted about 10 ministers who made presentations on how their respective ministries would implement the government’s new economic blueprint, Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset) to accelerate the region’s development.
The indaba held at Elangeni Training Institute was meant to identify challenges facing the region as well as mapping the way forward.
The indaba highlighted that the region’s three provinces, Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South have abundant resources that could be exploited to develop the region.
One local economic analyst, Elson Muzanhi, an academic at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), said what was important after the indaba was that the different government ministries should walk the talk.
“The different ministries which have pledged to work with the leadership in the region to accelerate development should get down to work,” said Muzanhi.
He said the meeting was a good starting point as it managed to identify many challenges facing the three provinces.
“We hope that it will not be a mere talk show but it should see the three regions benefiting from the implementation of the projects discussed under Zim-Asset,” said Chief Dingane of Dete, Matabeleland North province.
The indaba implored government to avail adequate funding for the many development projects set to be implemented. “What is needed is government support and funding to ensure that various developmental projects lying idle in the region are revived. I’m sure the region is set to return to its former lost glory as one of the industrial hub of the nation and this will create employment opportunities for many jobless youths in different provinces,” said Quite Ndlovu, a Zanu-PF youth member from Bulawayo province.
To ensure that the projects come to fruition as intended, the Senior Minister of State in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, emphasised the need for greater co-operation, unity of purpose and a committed loyal civil service.
“This workshop is only the first phase which has brought under the spotlight a number of challenges affecting the development of the region and these challenges can only be overcome if we work as a team,” said Cde Moyo.
The indaba comes at a time when a number of projects in the region have either failed to take off or are incomplete due to lack of funding.
The meeting highlighted big projects such as the extraction of Lupane methane gas and the National Zambezi Water Project which the delegates said when complete will transform the entire region.
Among the projects set to be undertaken would be the recapitalisation of Bulawayo’s biggest employer, National Railways of Zimbabwe, whose turnaround is expected to be achieved before the end of the year.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Dr Obert Mpofu said his ministry was geared to deliver its mandate to develop the region and the entire country.
He said his ministry was working on resuscitating state enterprises and rehabilitating roads among other projects.
During the indaba, government also pledged to accelerate the establishment of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) to spur the resuscitation and revival of ailing Bulawayo industries that were adversely affected by the massive de-industrialisation during the past decade. Under the SEZ, Bulawayo was designated as a textile special economic zone.
An economic zone status is granted to an area which has potential to attract investment through special incentives such as low interest rates, tax reliefs and export incentives.
In the past decade, many Bulawayo companies have either relocated to other cities or completely shut down leaving thousands jobless.
To arrest some of the land challenges facing the region, Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement Dr Douglas Mombeshora said: “Government is committed under the Zim-Asset programme to resuscitate Bulawayo industries through the provision of more land to the people of Bulawayo for commercial development purposes within the 40 km radius. Bulawayo is also set to get more land for housing development.
“Under the Zim-Asset programme, my ministry together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development is looking at a possibility of providing land to the people of Bulawayo for agricultural production. We need to allocate more land for commercial and housing development. We’re offering the security of land tenure to the beneficiaries of the land reform programme to enable farmers to invest in agricultural production,” said Dr Mombeshora.
Apart from the lack of investment, Bulawayo’s few surviving companies have been let down by water shortage and erratic power supply.
The Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, said his ministry was committed to the completion of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project which he said was the permanent solution to water problems facing the region. He said the completion of the project will not only guarantee adequate water to Bulawayo but will enable farmers to create a green belt from Gwayi-Shangani Dam up to Bulawayo.
Minister Kasukuwere said the first phase of the water project, the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, would be complete by 2016, highlighting that the completion of the dam would result in immense economic benefits to the region.
The dam will be one of the largest inland dams in the country.
The Minister of Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development, Cde Sithembiso Nyoni, said the solution to the region’s perennial drought was cultivating drought tolerant crops and promotion of a number of SMEs projects.
Cde Nyoni also urged small enterprises in the region to form co-operatives in order to benefit from government’s technical and financial support.
Online Reporter
Sidumisile Mabena