Chronicle Editor
Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
MATOBO District in Matabeleland South is poised for a major transformation in terms of infrastructural development with Government releasing $400 million to fund the implementation of critical projects including rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Kezi Road.
The funds, which are an addition to the ring fenced $168 devolution fund allocated to Matobo Rural District Council, will support various projects in the district targeting road rehabilitation, water and sanitation, health and education among other key interventions.
Technical teams have started the preparatory process ahead of the commencement of the projects under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).
Under the programme, 34 schools in the district, Maphisa District Hospital and Kezi Clinic are set for massive refurbishment.
Maphisa District Hospital serves as the referral centre for 17 rural health centres in the district and caters for a population of 100 000 people.
An additional $10 million was also allocated towards the construction of a classroom block at Whitewater Secondary School.
On Tuesday, a ministerial delegation comprising Transport and Infrastructural Development Deputy Minister Mike Madiro, Finance and Economic Development Deputy Minister Clemence Chiduwa, Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Edgar Moyo and Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs Minister Abednico Ncube visited Maphisa and Kezi as part of a familiarisation tour.
Deputy Minister Chiduwa said the Second Republic ushered in a development agenda and Treasury is fully committed to supporting this reform drive.
He said $350 million has been availed to ensure the availability of water in schools through borehole drilling and water reticulation as a measure to contain the spread of Covid-19 and 34 schools in Matobo District will benefit under the programme.
“Additionally, $10 million has been allocated towards construction of a classroom block at Whitewater Secondary School and Treasury stands ready to avail the requisite resources once the necessary project preparatory processes have been completed,” he said.
He said the 2021 National budget made available $19,5 billion towards devolution and Matobo District will get $169 million targeting implementation of various projects.
“Apart from ring fenced devolution funding, Government is also supporting various projects in the district targeting road rehabilitation, water and sanitation, health, education among other key infrastructure,” he said.
Deputy Minister Madiro said under the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme, which will be implemented over three years, Matobo District was allocated US$28,7 million for the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Kezi road.
“There is no vision which can be realised without basic infrastructural development like roads. We are looking at rehabilitating the Bulawayo-Kezi road, which is in a very bad state and Government has allocated US$28,7 million.
“It is the President’s top priority to raise the standard of living of our people, and this is only achievable if we have a proper road network, which is the veins to ensure that every facet of the economy is ticking,” he said.
The President has in various platforms pronounced the importance of infrastructure development, which is one of the key deliverables to ensure we realise Vision 2030. Our visit here is to make sure that the President’s vision is implemented on the ground.
Since 2019, the ringfenced resources under devolution have capacitated Matobo RDC with the following strides among others having been achieved: installation of integrated solar street lights; procurement of ICT hardware and software and tractor, refurbishment of schools.”
Deputy Minister Moyo said they had decided to bring different ministers to the district so that they have an appreciation of infrastructural deficits that need to be attended to, among them the Bulawayo-Kezi Road, particularly the stretch between Matopo Police Station turn-off and Kezi.
“We have an infrastructural deficit particularly at Maphisa District Hospital and Kezi Clinic. A nation cannot develop if its people are not healthy. We also have two projects in the education sector at Whitewater and St Anna Secondary Schools,” he said.
Whitewater will take care of children in the northern part of the district while St Anna will focus on southern part.
“On the educational front under the PSIP, we are looking mainly at science development. We have a programme in the Ministry which we call STI (Science, Technology and Innovation).
“The programme is intended to change our children from memorisation and remembering model to a model where they can innovate by using technology,” said Deputy Minister Moyo.
“Our industrialisation trajectory can only be achieved if there is a thrust to innovation. We are looking at Whitewater and St Anna as being the hubs of STI.
“We need to strengthen the teaching of STI in our schools. The distances that our children travel to schools affect girls who end up not proceeding to A-Level and therefore we are saying we need to put up low-cost boarding facilities to close that gap between the rich and the poor.”
Matobo District has three boarding schools — Minda, Matobo and Cyrene High Schools.
Minister Ncube said a good road network is of strategic importance as it enhances accessibility as well as promotes local economic development in the province
“For us to attain an upper-middle income economy by 2030, there is need to ensure that our roads are accessible to allow our communities to engage in economic activities and have access to markets.
“From our tour, we witnessed the bad state of the Bulawayo-Kezi road, which has been worsened by excessive rains,” he said.
“This is the general state of all roads in the province and there is an urgent need to rehabilitate and upgrade these roads as they are key in economic growth of our province.
“We have road projects that have been on standstill yet they are key to socio-economic development of our province and these include the Gwanda-Maphisa and Guyu-Manama roads.”
The Gwanda-Maphisa road project has been on the cards for many years. The road links Matobo District to the provincial capital, Gwanda where people access key services.
People are now forced to travel a longer distance of 250km via Bulawayo instead of just 65km.
Minister Ncube said Matabeleland South is endowed with natural resources and human capital to turn around its economy.
“We need support in the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of basic infrastructure as these are key economic drivers. We also need funding in rehabilitating irrigations scheme in the province,” he said.@mashnets/
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