adminPamela Shumba Senior Reporter
THE government has notified villagers settled within the Gwayi-Shangani Dam basin in Matabeleland North to start relocating to safe zones as construction of the dam gathers momentum.A number of villagers will be displaced by the dam whose construction is set to be completed in 2016.
The affected communities and schools, mainly in Lubimbi village one and two, have since been told to stop new constructions and get ready for relocation.
Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) chief engineer in charge of the project Knowledge Mudzengerere, confirmed the development yesterday.
“We’re still in the process of counting the number of the people that will be affected by the project but what I can say for now is that three villages and a school will be affected,” he said without elaborating.
The villagers, however, expressed concern over the issue saying the government was not clear regarding where they would be relocated to.
“We were summoned to a meeting on Saturday last week by council officials and we were told that we should pave way for the construction of the dam, which is expected to be complete in two years,” said Mcabango Mpande, a villager from Lubimbi.
“Everyone was left in panic mode because we were not informed how this process would be done. We were just told that we should move from the area and go somewhere else.”
Mpande said relocation would negatively affect their lives. “Most people have been here for several years and need a lot of time to prepare for relocation. Some of us are looking forward to benefit from the dam hence we do not want to be moved to far away places,” he said.
Another villager Moses Ncube said it was unfair for government to order them to stop constructing new buildings saying it was not clear how long it would take to relocate.
“This is a human rights issue and I think government should be clear and be sensitive to our plight. Some of us settled here more than 80 years ago. Our parents and their parents were buried here and we can’t just leave their graves. We also have people working in nearby mines. We know that this dam has taken more than 100 years to be built and there is no guarentee that the 2016 deadline would be met. I think the government should let us stay and move us when the dam is complete.”
Upon completion Gwayi-Shangani Dam would be the third largest in the country after Tokwe-Mukosi and Mutirikwi.
The dam project is a key major component of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, viewed as a long term solution to Bulawayo’s water woes.
Last week Finance Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa availed $10 million towards the construction of the dam, as government affirms its commitment to expedite completion of the project.
Online Reporter