NEW: Government intensifies programme to set up village business units

Online Reporter

THE setting up of village business units (VBUs) across the country has intensified after contractors deployed teams to fast-track the construction of solar-powered boreholes in rural districts.

Government plans to set up 10 000 VBUs by the end of the year to uplift the lives of communities, particularly in rural areas.

Each VBU comprises one solar-powered borehole, two 10 000-litre storage tanks, one horticulture garden with drip irrigation and two fish ponds.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail Online, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) chief executive officer, Engineer Taurayi Maurikira, said: “Each province will see a deployment of seven teams of borehole installers. Our target is to install 50 boreholes per day in every province and immediately set up VBUs.”

Prevail Group International chairperson Mr Paul Tungwarara, whose company has been contracted to install the boreholes, said the programme has moved a gear up.

“I can confirm that we have deployed teams to all the country’s provinces for installation of boreholes,” he said.

“The programme has now intensified and we are working with the target given to us by the Government to install 10 000 boreholes by the end of the year.”