Chronicle Editor
Wallace Ruzvidzo, Harare Bureau
TOMORROW (Sunday) President Mnangagwa is set to headline a star rally at Nkayi in Matabeleland North, as Zanu-PF continues to prove its popularity and huge following.
The rally, the sixth one in as many weeks after Chipinge, Bulilima, Magunje, Zaka and Centenary star rallies, is expected to be another resounding success as Zanu-PF continues to flex its political muscle.
Since the coming in of the Second Republic, Matabeleland North has seen the mushrooming of development in all its provincial sectors.
The province, which is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls, as well as Hwange National Park, thermal power plants and coal mines, majors in tourism, mining and cattle production.
A total of 669 projects have been initiated in the province under the Second Republic’s devolution strategy with 335 of them having been completed and 234 at various stages of completion.
Major highlights in the province include energy and power development with efforts having been made by President Mnangagwa’s administration to improve power generation in the country, concentrated on the giant 300MW Unit 7 and Unit 8 at Hwange Thermal Power Station, but including Zimbabwe Zhongxin Electronic Energy and Solgas solar plant.
On the infrastructure development front, several roads and bridges have been rehabilitated and constructed in the province to improve trafficability and accessibility. In addition, the Binga airstrip was rehabilitated and expanded.
In terms of contributing to rural incomes and Zimbabwe’s food security, the establishment of irrigation schemes and construction of dams is most assuredly going to bolster food production as well as nutrition security in the province.
Upon completion, Gwayi-Shangani Dam will feed a modest 10MW into the national grid and provide irrigation water for more than 10 000 hectares, while also ending Bulawayo’s water woes.
The development of Matabeleland North’s digital economy has expedited the provinces’ economic growth with 14 CICs and 60 ICT labs having been established, while 108 schools were beneficiaries of internet connectivity. 20 base stations were also deployed and eight PFMS were established.
The Second Republic has also established agro-Industrial parks in the province to increase research and development in the education sector.
Consequently, Lupane State University Agro-Industrial Park, Hwange Teachers College and Binga Industrial Training have been established.
In terms of improving health delivery nine clinics were constructed and one mortuary was refurbished and its holding capacity was increased.
Efforts have also been made to improve the province’s supply of potable water with 54 boreholes having been drilled and a further 589 being maintained and 104 rehabilitated. A total of 768 boreholes were also repaired and two piped water schemes established while six others are under construction. These pipe water schemes will enhance irrigation systems in the province and subsequently improve the province’s food nutrition.
Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo said the province was grateful to the Second Republic.
“The amount of work that we have done so far with the resources we got from the devolution allocation is so motivating. We managed to finish a number of projects that were affected by limited resources.
“We also started new ones that are at different levels of completion. The communities are very happy and grateful to the Government for rolling out the devolution concept as they feel they now own the development process in their own areas,” he said.
Online Reporter