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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
GWANDA Municipality is working on attaining city status by 2021, in a development which is set to boost economic activity in the area.
In an interview, Gwanda Mayor, Councillor Jastone Mazhale, said the municipality needed to attract investors in order to develop the town and turn it into an attractive destination before it becomes a city.
He said the local authority had put in place measures to lure small and big companies to invest in the town.
“It has been our vision that we should be a city by 2021 and in order to become a city we have to attract investors. We are on the right path to realise our vision as we have created an environment where people are willing to invest and investments will contribute to the development of Gwanda which will adequately turn the town to a city. We are trying to attract big companies as well as empower small companies because in order to become a city we have to have big and small companies working together to develop the area.
“To attract investors one has to have a constant water supply and my administration made sure we have constant water supply by pushing to ensure we have a single water authority divorcing from Zinwa. Secondly we are making sure that the five mega litre reservoir is completed. The moment we do that naturally so many companies will be willing to invest in Gwanda. There is no way we can become a city without involving big companies,” Cllr Mazhale said.
He said part of their investment drive was to ensure that land is available at affordable prices and that there is a discount if an investor is able to construct within a stipulated time. They also plan to revise their master plan to ensure they allocate more land for commercial and industrial purposes.
Cllr Mazhale said attaining city status would mean that the town would have more services and increased revenue.
“There are a number of opportunities that we are missing out on just because we are a municipality but once we are a city we will be able to experience them. There are a number of services that we don’t have in Gwanda under various sectors such as health, education among others and as a result people have to travel to Bulawayo to access them.
“If we become a city we will have more schools, hospitals, banks, supermarkets, institutions and various big companies coming in. Once these services come the town will grow and the complexion of the town will improve. The livelihoods of residents will improve as well. The road network will also improve,” he said.—@DubeMatutu
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