dyton mupawaenda
Nqobile Tshili-Bulawayo Bureau
Community consultation meetings have started as the Government seeks to get buy-in and social cohesion on the Lake Gwayi Shangani project, which is expected to transform lives in Matabeleland through its downstream benefits.
Lake Gwayi-Shangani is expected to provide a permanent solution to Bulawayo water crisis while creating a greenbelt in Matabeleland North with 10 000 hectares of land earmarked for agriculture.
From the 10 000 ha of land, 8 400 ha will be reserved for commercial farming purposes while the Government will implement the Arda Vision 2030 accelerator model on 1 600 ha where irrigation projects targeting villages will be implemented as part of rural industrialisation.
Under the V2030 model, the Government is stimulating industrialisation of rural communities through engendering value addition and beneficiation.
Government is also targeting to establish eco-tourism facilities, fisheries, and a mini-hydro power station at the dam site.
The dam’s construction is one of the key projects under the Second Republic’s implementation to bring to life a century old dream.
While significant progress has been made in the construction of the dam wall including preliminary works on the construction of a hydro-power station, there is a general feeling that communities had been left behind in terms of the project implementation.
This prompted the Government to deploy a provincial technical taskforce on Lake Gwayi Shangani to engage communities in Lupane, Binga and Hwange district on the construction of the dam and how it will impact on them.
The taskforce team leader Engineer Charles Makhula yesterday met stakeholders in Lupane to provide them with the information on how the project will be implemented.
Various Government departments outlined their involvement on the project and how it will impact communities.
It was observed that Lupane will be one of the districts that will be seriously affected by the project as it is set to be a recipient of 725 households that will be relocated from Lubimbi in Binga District
Some A2 farmers in the district are also expected to lose part of their land as a result of the project.
Eng Makhula said while the project comes with some negative aspects, stakeholders should have a national interest outlook in thinking.
He said it was prudent for those affected to think around how they can take advantage of opportunities that will present themselves.
“We are in a consultative process on the Gwayi Shangani. The vision is to ensure that the engagements are multifaceted benefiting all the individuals in Lupane. We want to know if all the opportunities benefit all the people,” said Eng Makhula.
“The planning was meticulous so that we don’t leave any community and any stakeholder unattended. The idea is that we have a shared vision from the President to the least person in the community.”
Eng Makhula said they noted that the project had been causing friction in the community hence it was prudent for them to come to the ground and cascade information on its benefits.
“If you were following the events of this project in 2021 and 2022, you’ll realise that lack of engagements caused a lot of conflict, stalling the project. What was advised from the top was not the expectations of the community,” he said.
“So, we have been brought here to try and listen to the people, local leadership and their structure so that their voices are in sync with vision 2030.”
Eng Makhula said the expectation is that everyone should know how they will benefit from the project.
“It was an issue of who gets accommodated where and who takes part. After this engagement process, we want to have a document that speaks to all items and branches of Gwayi Shangani dam, streamline all the stakeholders so that when the cake is being shared, you know who is critical,” he said.
Kusile Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Hadebe welcomed the consultation meetings, saying they will help address all critical questions ahead of the implementation of the project.
He said Kusile RDC is expected to provide services to the beneficiaries of the project as well as those who would be displaced.
“We also need to plan on how their settlement will be made and the services that they need. There are also going to be irrigation blocks, and we also need to plan for them, including roads among other social amenities and even plot holders will need services,” said Mr Hadebe.
He said the project will result in the growth of the district’s gross domestic product.
Acting Chief Mabhikwa said the consultation meetings are essential as they will address some of the problems raised by communities.
“Initially the project was being implemented from top to bottom. Even local Government departments were in the dark on what was happening. We had to call for a meeting with the President to address our concerns, and this is how we got here. We hope our resolutions will be adopted going forward,” he said.
Some of the community participants expressed concerns that they only heard through the grapevine that they were going to lose land to pave the way for the project.
Others said they had been told that some land had been allocated to individuals who are not part of the local community.
The community demanded that further consultations be conducted with structures at grassroots level until consensus is agreed on the project.
Eng Makhula assured the community that the engagements will be made for everyone to understand their role in the implementation of the project.
Online Reporter