adminNgoni Dapira Post Correspondent
MUTASA Rural District Council, which recently received an award for promoting investments from the Zimbabwe Investment Authority, has been identified as a sleeping economic hub as the province earmarks to benefit from the soon to be enacted Special Economic Zones.
Speaking during the recently held Mutasa RDC belated award-winning celebrations, Mutasa District Administrator, Mr Tendai Kapenzi, commended the RDC for steering Government’s rural developmental agenda to minimise rural-urban migration.
The district has over the years lined up several public and private partnerships to drive futuristic projects like the Nyangani Hydroelectricity Power Project that has seen a total of 20 megawatts being fed into the national grid.
There was also the banana value chain project that promoted the growing of modern varieties of bananas by rural based banana growers in Honde Valley.
“I commend the RDC for facilitating the establishment of Riverside College in Odzi, Pinkrose, Hauna Christian College and Johanne Marange School in an endeavour to support the provision of education. It also facilitated the establishment of four Early Child Development Centres in the district,” said Mr Kapenzi.
He added that notably the RDC was in the process of facilitating the construction of service stations, one at Mutasa District Service Centre and the other at Sagambe Business Centre.
Mutasa RDC chief executive officer, Mr George Bandure, said next year they had earmarked more developmental projects to utilise the vast and strategic landscape in the area.
He said they had lined up potential tourist sites that need marketing, gravity irrigation projects to boost horticultural farming as well as renewable energy projects using solar and wind energy.
“We are really looking forward to the enactment of the SEZs Bill to drive the projects we have earmarked. In the absence of foreign direct investment, we have already done a lot of groundwork and now just need the final drive, which will be financiers.
“We want our rural inhabitants to access basic services and reduce the influx of youths in towns seeking employment opportunities. We just have to think outside the box as a nation and make use of our natural resources, which is what we are doing in Mutasa to empower communities. To complement our developmental agenda, we also had staff development workshops facilitated by Eve Consultancy to equip our staff on how to handle projects and draft project proposals for investment projects,” said Mr Bandure.
On tourism projects, Mr Bandure said there was the Zindi bird view area and Mahwemasimike rock formations that need marketing as idyllic tourist destinations.
Mutasa RDC council chairman, Councillor Tendayi Samanga added that rural urbanisation was achievable.
He implored Government to consider the region when formulating the earmarked clusters for SEZs.
“We want Mutasa to be a pilot study for other rural districts in ushering rural urbanisation programmes. We should not have to wait for Government funds knowing the country’s limited fiscal space, but should take on PPPs and make the most of our key asset, which is our natural resources,” said Clr Samanga.
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