Matabeleland South OPC develops five-year strategic plan aligned to NDS2

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]

THE Matabeleland South Province Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) is developing a five-year strategic plan to guide the province’s development framework.

The five-day strategic planning workshop, which concludes on Wednesday, aims to align provincial programmes with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) recently launched by President Mnangagwa.

The workshop was officially opened by the Minister of State for Matabeleland South for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Albert Nguluvhe, who emphasised that the strategic plan is not only a policy requirement but also a critical driver for the realisation of Vision 2030.

He noted that the plan should promote high performance, accountability, and clear measurable results that directly improve the lives of citizens.

The workshop also provides an opportunity to review performance under National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1: 2021–2025) and to strategically align future programmes with NDS2.

Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mrs Lathiso Dlamini-Maseko, said the workshop has three objectives: to conduct a frank and rigorous analysis of current performance and the provincial landscape against the ten priorities of NDS2; to build unified, actionable, and measurable strategies that will form the definitive five-year plan; and to foster absolute commitment and ownership of the plan across all departments and units.

“It’s worth mentioning that NDS2 was crafted to propel Zimbabwe forward by focusing on ten key priority areas, all aimed at leaving no one and no place behind. Our provincial strategy therefore must be intricately linked to the national framework, ensuring every objective and initiative drives the provincial machinery toward the achievement of NDS2 and Vision 2030 for a prosperous, inclusive Zimbabwe,” she said.

Mrs Dlamini-Maseko added that the strategy must also be infused with core values, including loyalty, patriotism, accountability, integrity, humility, and being results-oriented, which she described as non-negotiable standards for planning.

She concluded that the strategy developed will provide a framework on how Matabeleland South will advance within the national development plan.