Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
INSIZA Rural District Council has rolled out several infrastructure development projects targeting resettlement areas that have long lagged behind.
In an interview, Insiza Rural District Council chief executive officer, Mr Shepherd Tshuma, said the initiative is in line with President Mnangagwa’s philosophy of “leaving no one and no place behind” and the “Call to Action — No compromise to service delivery” drive.
He revealed that six clinics are already under construction in Insiza North resettlement area and are expected to be completed by 2030.
Mr Tshuma added that 10 schools are being expanded to cater for the ever-increasing population in the fast-growing resettlement areas. He also noted that the district has settlements that need to be developed into townships.
“When looking at the southern side of the district, which is communal, most of the infrastructure was built long ago. Our focus is to improve the quality of infrastructure in those areas, such as schools and clinics. Our focus in terms of developing these areas is to improve school infrastructure, build low-cost boarding facilities, and introduce and equip science laboratories.
“The northern side was a former commercial farming area and is now a resettlement area. The settlements are wide apart and there is little infrastructure. Our focus there, is on developing roads and schools to shorten the walking distance for learners and introducing health facilities to reduce distances walked by villagers,” he said.
Mr Tshuma said the local authority is also in the process of developing its 2026-2030 strategic plan, which should be submitted by the end of this week. He said that the process of developing the strategic plan is informed by previous engagements with the community and other stakeholders on what needs to be prioritised under the development framework. The process also includes reviewing the 2021-2025 strategic plan to identify challenges, successes and existing gaps.
“We are in the process of developing our 2026-2030 strategic plan, which should align with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) pillars. We conducted extensive consultations for the 2026 budget and also consultations for our 15-year master plan (2025-2039), which gives direction on where Insiza is supposed to go in the next 15 years.
“Those two consultations gave insight into what we need in coming up with our 2026-2030 strategic plan and what we need to implement in line with NDS2. We want our development guidelines to be informed by what residents and villagers want in terms of development and where we ought to take the district in the future.”
Under the 15-year master plan, Mr Tshuma said the target is to develop Filabusi town into a municipality by 2040. Another target is to transform areas around the district’s major rivers into green belts to ensure food security for communities by 2040.
He added that there is also a need to leverage other natural resources, such as minerals, to uplift living standards for communities. — @DubeMatutu
