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Leonard Ncube, [email protected]
PEOPLE in Matabeleland North have commended President Mnangagwa for prioritising the province in the Second Republic’s development agenda following the implementation of various mega projects.
Matabeleland North, a province that has previously been regarded as marginalised and lagging behind, has reaped the best benefits in terms of development projects in the last five years.
Since coming into power in 2017, President Mnangagwa has pushed the Government to spearhead equitable and inclusive development across the country as he seeks to ensure no one and no place is left behind.
Last week President Mnangagwa commissioned two major projects in the province namely Muchesu Coal Mine in Binga and Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 and 8. Both projects created job opportunities for thousands of locals.
Binga, which recently attained a Local Board status, could be the biggest beneficiary of the Second Republic development drive.
Last year, all 17 chiefs in Binga, including women and youth, were given fishing rigs by President Mnangagwa while a tertiary college was also opened in the district.
The Second Republic rehabilitated Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme, which is set to boost food security in Binga district and the entire province.
Government has also successfully implemented the Lake Gwayi-Shangani project, which is nearing completion and is being built using resources from the fiscus.
First mooted in 1912 as a permanent solution to Bulawayo’s perennial water woes, successive administrations failed to implement the project until the coming in of the Second Republic.
A pipeline is under construction linking the massive water body with Bulawayo, which will create a greenbelt and livestock hubs that will transform the province’s economy and create more jobs.
The Second Republic has also revamped the agriculture sector in the province, which now boasts thriving irrigation schemes at Bubi Lupane, Jotsholo and Umguza where massive food production projects are underway.
The upgrading of Victoria Falls into a city, the establishment of the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, construction progress at the Lupane State University and the provincial hospital, are other signature projects that have transformed lives in the province.
In separate interviews, a cross-section of people from the province including politicians, churches and civic society said Matabeleland North will never be the same again.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo said the coming in of the Second Republic had given birth to several investments in the province.
“There is a lot that the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa has done in Matabeleland North with various projects having been implemented as we drive towards Vision 2030. The future is brighter, and you can see the love the President has for Matabeleland,” he said.
“Last week he was in Nkayi, Binga, and then Hwange. It was a long week in Matabeleland North as the President followed his mantra of leaving no one and no place behind in terms of development.”
Zanu-PF Matabeleland North Youth League provincial chair Cde Alvin Lundy Sinzeka said Binga is no longer lagging behind.
“We want to thank President Mnangagwa because he has shown love for Matabeleland North through the various projects that he has started. Matabeleland has been transformed and it is clear that we are on the right track,” he said.–@ncubeleon
Online Reporter