Vusumuzi Dube
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu , Mat South Bureau
THE construction of the Filabusi Registry Offices is now at 80 percent complete, with the bulk of the brickwork having been done as the Government pushes to ensure the project is finished by the end of this month.
The new registry is among legacy projects being implemented in Matabeleland South Province, earmarked for completion before Independence Day celebrations next month.
The Government has released ZiG$20 million for the project that had stalled for more than two decades, with people from the district travelling long distances to acquire documents.
Matabeleland South Province will be hosting this year’s main Independence Day Celebrations in Maphisa, Matobo District, on 18 April.
The infrastructural development project is among scores of initiatives that Government is undertaking countrywide as it moves towards achieving Vision 2030 guided by the philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind.
The completion of the registry project will see community members from Insiza District able to obtain passports and other travel documents locally.
At the moment, applicants travel to either Bulawayo or Gwanda to access critical documents, while staff from the Registry Department in Filabusi operate from a limited space where they are only able to issue birth and death certificates and national identity cards.
Construction of the new Filabusi Registry offices began in 2004 before works came to a halt in 2006 due to financial constraints. The project later resumed in 2018 and stalled again in 2019, only to resume in January this year.
During a recent visit to the project site, Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Albert Nguluvhe, expressed satisfaction with progress.
“I was here two weeks ago, and I can say there has been significant progress during this short period, which shows that a lot of effort is being put into this project both financially and manually,” he said.
“This registry office is a crucial facility as it will bring relief to people who have had to travel to Gwanda to obtain documents.
“The implementation of this project is indeed a fulfilment of President Mnangagwa’s philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind.
“This is a great achievement for Matabeleland South. We can see that the coming in of the Second Republic is bringing development to every corner of the country.”
Minister Nguluvhe said the project will help ease congestion at the Bulawayo and Gwanda offices as the structure will also service other districts. He expressed gratitude towards Government for bringing the much-needed development to Matabeleland South under the devolution agenda.
Special Advisor to the President on Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes and Projects, Dr Joram Gumbo said the Filabusi Registry project and other legacy projects being implemented in the province are in line with Government’s decentralisation and devolution agenda.
“I last visited this site in 2019 and nothing was going on. I’m glad that through the push by His Excellency that all stalled projects must be completed, we are seeing significant development in this project,” he said.
“We are expecting this project to be completed by the end of the month so that when we go to Maphisa for the Independence Day this project would have been commissioned.
“It’s a score for the Second Republic for such a project to be completed as they are crucial in enhancing Government’s development agenda. The Government wants to see services being brought to the people and livelihoods being improved.”
Matabeleland South Provincial Public Works Director Engineer Sijabuliso Ncube said works are on course and while the rains have delayed progress, works will be completed by end of March.
“We are making good progress on the project, although rains delayed us a bit. By the end of this month, we should have finished. We are now working on the ceiling, plumbing and tiles,” he said.
“The brick work is at 95 percent as we are left with beam filling. All the works combined are almost at 80 percent.
“Government has availed $20 million towards the project, which has helped to maintain steady progress. We have engaged 24 general hands and six skilled workers and one qualified builder from the local community, which has helped in creating employment.” — @DubeMatutu.
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