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Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
MASVINGO City Council is in a quandary over the crafting of the long-awaited masterplan amid reports that the local authority has failed to find experts for the job.
The city’s masterplan has been on the cards for the past seven years and repeated efforts to craft it have hit a snag.
It is reported that the city fathers have been duped twice by a South African consultant.
Further, it is alleged that a local consultant which had offered to do the project developed cold feet at the eleventh hour citing lack of internal expertise for such a huge initiative.
Town Clerk Mr Adolf Gusha said last week that they would engage another consultant to finalise the document.
“Our master plan is now long overdue. We have failed to complete the master plan in four successive years. This programme was initiated in 2015,” he said.
“Firstly, we engaged a South African company to do our master plan, but they disappeared before they could do anything.
“We made efforts to locate them in that country, but when our emissary visited their offices, he was told the company had since left the building.
“This is despite the fact we had entered into an agreement.
“After the first attempt failed, we approached Urban Development Corporation (UDCORP), but unfortunately they also could not complete the project citing lack of capacity.”
Mr Gusha said they were already working on hiring a foreign consultant with expertise to do the project, which upon its completion will give the local authority direction on what needs to be done.
“The master plan will be for 10 years and spells out how the city intends to grow. The blueprint will also be used as a development template with well-defined investment opportunities”.
The Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Cde Ezra Chadzamira, said the city’s master plan would give impetus to the devolution matrix.
Online Reporter