Patrick Chitumba, [email protected]
SPECIAL Advisor to the President on Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes and Projects, Dr Joram Gumbo, says Mberengwa is recording significant infrastructure and industrial growth, with major investments in manufacturing, electricity supply, mining and road construction taking shape across the district.
Dr Gumbo said the investments reflected Government’s broader drive to promote industrialisation, infrastructure development and economic growth, ensuring that communities across the country benefited from opportunities being created under the Second Republic.
He was speaking during a tour of some of the projects in the district, where he noted that Mberengwa was experiencing visible changes, with new shopping malls, fuel service stations, roads and healthcare facilities emerging across the area.
“The developments are helping to stimulate economic activity, improve service delivery and enhance the quality of life for residents,” he said.
Dr Gumbo said Government was monitoring the implementation of the projects, identifying bottlenecks and ensuring that responsible institutions addressed outstanding challenges so that communities could benefit from the developments.
“We are assessing progress, identifying bottlenecks and ensuring that responsible institutions address outstanding issues so that communities benefit from these projects. We can safely say all these projects are part of the Second Republic under President Dr Mnangagwa’s vision to ensure an upper-middle-income economy,” he said.
Among the major projects in Mberengwa is the US$12 million Livetouch clinker and lime production facility, whose first phase is 80 percent complete and has already created 300 jobs.
The facility is expected to boost local industrial production, reduce reliance on imported clinker and strengthen Zimbabwe’s cement manufacturing capacity.
A US$1,6 million electricity substation project by the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) is also 98 percent complete, while the Mberengwa Gold Service Centre has reached 95 percent completion.
Construction of the 52,6-kilometre Sandawana Road is also progressing, with works moving towards tar surfacing.
Livetouch managing director Mr Kyle Wang said the company’s investment was being implemented in three phases covering clinker production, lime production and, ultimately, power generation.
“The first phase has already created 300 jobs and is nearing completion. We are targeting annual lime production of 200 000 metric tonnes.
“Investment in the current phase is more than US$12 million, a figure that is expected to increase
as more funds are made available until we commence production,” he said.
Mr Wang added that the clinker production facility was expected to reduce Zimbabwe’s reliance on imported clinker, a key raw material used in cement manufacturing, while strengthening local industrial capacity and supporting the construction sector.
In the energy sector, ZETDC’s US$1,6 million substation project is expected to improve electricity supply to about 2 000 households and businesses.
ZETDC Southern Region Network Development Engineer Eng Samuel Sabau said the project, which began in May 2023, involved installing transformers with five times the capacity of the existing units.
“The upgraded infrastructure is expected to improve electricity supply to about 2 000 households and businesses, with outstanding installations expected to be completed in December,” he said.
In the mining sector, the Mberengwa Gold Service Centre is 95 percent complete, with completion targeted for mid-November.
The one-stop facility is designed to support and formalise artisanal and small-scale gold mining by improving miners’ access to essential services and encouraging participation in the formal gold sector.
Meanwhile, construction of the 52,6-kilometre Sandawana Road is expected to improve connectivity, facilitate the movement of goods and open up markets for local communities.
Project resident engineer Eng Blaster Kapisa said the road was expected to be completed within five months, with works progressing from gravelling towards tar surfacing.
“Road works on the new Sandawana Road are progressing well. The 52,6-kilometre road is intended to improve connectivity and access to markets. It will also greatly benefit local communities,” he said.
