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George Maponga-Masvingo Bureau
Masvingo has made huge inroads in its quest to become an industrialised city by 2030 with several infrastructural projects in sectors such as health, education, water and sanitation taking shape.
There is optimism that the country’s oldest town’s target to be an industrialised metropolitan will be quickly realised with increased investment that has been galvanised by the unveiling of a 20-year master plan that was recently adopted by the council.
Residents have hailed the Second Republic for adding impetus to the devolution initiative through the provision of funding to build new schools, hospitals, roads and modern shelters for informal traders in the country’s oldest town.
The new Rujeko Secondary School in Rujeko suburb was partly built using devolution funds and council resources headlines a list of new projects that are positively impacting the lives of residents dovetailing with the Second Republic’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind.
Rujeko Secondary was commissioned early last year when it enrolled the inaugural group of learners and now has an enrolment of over 500 students.
Before the school came on board, Masvingo City only had four secondary schools namely Mucheke, Ndarama, Masvingo Christian and Victoria High that were offering day school classes.
According to Mr Chengeta Masihori, the opening of Rujeko Secondary brought relief to Rujeko residents.
“Our children used to walk very long distances to Ndarama High or had to walk to Victoria High in Rhodene suburb to go to school, but the situation has been salvaged now that we have Rujeko Secondary School. We want to thank Government and Masvingo City Council for building this new school which has also greatly eased hot sitting as secondary school places were very hard to find,” he said.
This was echoed by Mr Happy Muchipisi of Rujeko C suburb who paid tribute to President Mnangagwa’s administration for giving the devolution initiative more traction in the process bringing social services closer to the generality of the people.
Government also partly funded building of Runyararo North West Medical Centre which has a catchment of 30 000 people in western parts of Masvingo City and is also a boon for communities in Masvingo West constituency.
Mr Itai Hwenjere said the new medical centre was evidence President Mnangagwa was serious in making sure “no one and no place is left behind” in the march towards Vision 2030.
Runyararo North West Medical Centre was jointly built by the council and Government.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi commissioned the medical facility in January last year.
Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa praised President Mnangagwa’s administration for giving traction to the devolution initiative that he said had enabled the ancient city to improve most of its roads that were in a state of disrepair.
“We want to thank President Mnangagwa’s administration for providing funding that has enabled the council to rehabilitate some of the barely trafficable roads, the road rehabilitation programme is ongoing and this has improved the city’s road network.
“We also managed to procure fire tenders using devolution funding and our fleet is now big enough to effectively cover the city’s municipality area and even beyond,” he said.
“The construction of Rujeko Secondary School and Runyararo North West Medical Centre is also a testament that President Mnangagwa walks the talk on the Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo mantra.
“We have also undertaken several infrastructural projects using devolution funding from the Government especially vending stalls for our informal traders at the new Chitima Market. We are also using devolution funding to construct the Mucheke Sewer Trunkline that will connect sewer from Victoria Ranch and parts of Runyararo West to the city’s main sewer line and work is now around 78 percent complete.”
The Masvingo Town Clerk also revealed that the local authority had completed a feasibility study for phase 2 of the water augmentation project and indicated that the local authority was courting Chinese and South African funders with the assistance of the Government.
The project requires US$72 million and will duplicate the city’s pumping, purification, conveyancing and storage infrastructure taking the city’s daily water output to 60 megalitres against demand of around 48 megalitres.
Online Reporter