Chronicle Editor
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
KWEKWE City Council has channelled $15 million towards the refurbishment of its health facilities and other infrastructure.
The local authority has also embarked on an intensive cleaning up initiative where it is clearing all illegal dumpsites in line with the smart cities concept.
Long term plans are also underway to rehabilitate its social amenities, including stadia, halls, vocational centres and other sports facilities across the city.
Acting town clerk Dr Lucia Mnkandla said the state of health facilities were no longer appealing, hence the move to revamp them.
“We have embarked on an initiative to refurbish all our five clinics across the city where we are plastering, repainting, re-tiling and repairing the toilets so that they don’t become a hazard. Long term plans are also underway to purchase furniture and equipment for the clinics,” she said.
Kwekwe clinics are in Mbizo 1, Mbizo 11, Amaveni and Newtown suburbs.
The recently completed infectious diseases hospital becomes the city’s sixth health facility.
Dr Mnkandla said illegal dumpsites had become a menace in the mining town.
“We are having a serious challenge with people dumping waste everywhere and we are going around collecting all garbage,” she said.
“We had to hire equipment for that exercise since we do not have enough equipment. We are calling upon citizens to augment the move by the local authority by not dumping waste everywhere.”
She said a technical committee had already been set up to spearhead the construction of a waste recycling plant.
“It is work in progress and we have already set up a committee to come up with terms of reference so that work can start any time. We have already identified the place near Dutchman’s Pool where the recycling plant will be constructed,” said Dr Mnkandla.
She said stadia were now in a bad state and needed rehabilitation.
“Once we are done with health facilities, we are moving into social amenities, especially stadia, which are now in a sorry state. We will look into halls as well and other sports and recreational facilities like Mbizo Youth Centre. We will need to rehabilitate all those facilities and give them a fresh look,” she said.
Kwekwe City Council owns Amaveni and Mbizo stadiums which are both an eyesore now.
Dr Mnkandla said council will continue rehabilitating roads and pushing some contractors who are doing road works following complaints that some contractors were taking longer than expected to complete construction.
“We continue pushing the contractors given work by the Government, but as council we are also working on some roads. We recently completed Burma Road and we continue moving into other roads so that they become trafficable,” she said.
Online Reporter