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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Chronicle Reporter
GWANDA Municipality has engaged Makhado Municipality in South Africa in a bid to revive their memorandum of understanding (MoU) under the Trans-Limpopo Spatial Development Initiative (TLSDI), which will result in an exchange of resources and integration of economies.
The TLSDI was first proposed in 1998 and an MoU was subsequently signed in March 2001 between South Africa’s Limpopo Province and Matabeleland region. The initiative aims to create an economic corridor from Limpopo Province in South Africa through Victoria Falls to promote trade and economic development in the Trans-Limpopo corridor as well as facilitating the flow of traffic and other movement between the two countries.
South African and Zimbabwean authorities have resumed joint efforts to revive the implementation of the TLSDI.
The initiative is aimed at promoting economic growth in South Africa’s Limpopo and Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland provinces, which form a key trade artery for the region. Using their strategic locations and strong social ties, the two countries could use their collective resources to integrate their economies.
In an interview, Gwanda Town Mayor, Councillor Njabulo Siziba said they had met with a delegation from Makhado Municipality and talks were underway to resuscitate their MoU.
“We met with representatives from Makhado Municipality last week in a bid to resuscitate our twinning programme.
We signed an MoU several years back under the Trans-Limpopo Spatial Development Initiative but we didn’t explore the union. We now want to resuscitate it and ensure that both councils benefit from it,” he said.
“We are in the process of holding talks with Makhado Municipality but both parties have agreed that our union must be revived. We are looking forward to holding exchange visits where will see what they are doing to successfully run their council and they will also learn something from our operations.”
He said the union was a good opportunity to unlock mutual economic interests and develop economies of both towns. Clr Siziba said it will also present an opportunity for them to source some resources from their twin municipality and vice versa. He said Gwanda Town has a number of investment opportunities that could be tapped into. Clr Siziba said they were also making frantic efforts to promote the town and its opportunities and attract investors.
“Gwanda Town is the provincial capital which is it’s first advantage. It’s a transit route to and from South Africa which makes it a busy town. It’s a mining town and it’s surrounded by some of the country’s biggest gold producers such as Blanket and Vumbachikwe Mine. It’s also located close to Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) mine. We also have Jessie Mine and Freda Mine and numerous other gold ore processing plants.
The town has a lot of business opportunities in the industrial and commercial sectors,” Clr Siziba said. — @DubeMatutu
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