Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE border town of Beitbridge is tipped to become a major city in Zimbabwe with President Mnangagwa saying the modernisation of the border post has gone beyond its core function as a national port of entry as it has integrated other goals as included in its masterplan.
Last week, the President launched a modernised Beitbridge Border Post which he said was a high point of the Second Republic’s vision of overcoming geographic limitations to make Zimbabwe a land linked country.
He stressed that the transformation of Beitbridge Town must be seen in a sub-regional context that will see the inefficiencies and bottlenecks around the ports of entry being addressed with the ultimate goal of facilitating smooth movement of goods, services and human traffic between borders. In his weekly column, the President said besides the upgrading of the border post, many other social amenities had been included in the masterplan.
“We integrated many other goals in that masterplan, including meeting local needs, principally roads, housing, telecommunication and water reticulation systems. This is to ensure no one and no community is left behind. I was able to see model housing units designed for the burgeoning army of professionals employed in various sectors in this fast-growing town. The masterplan, too, provided for an 11 million-litre storage tank, which makes Beitbridge water-secure. All the elements of a modern town are thus either already in place or in the process of being built. I have no doubt that before long, Beitbridge will become a major city,” he said.
President Mnangagwa noted that the upgrading of Beitbridge is especially significant in that it combines sub-regional, national and community objectives and Zimbabwe’s vision of becoming Sadc’s transport hub.
“Her geography favours her to play such a role. Sitting at the heart of the North-South Trade Corridor, Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Border Post ranks as the busiest on the African continent. It thus needed commensurate infrastructure to live up to that coveted status. The facility I launched last Wednesday provides just such infrastructure, and generates enormous national pride for all of us,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said Matabeleland South Province enjoys two major border posts: Beitbridge and Plumtree that are very important to the Zimbabwean economy.
“That makes the province quite unique on that score. As a provincial economy, Matabeleland South Province is also growing rapidly, underpinned by mining and specialised agriculture,” he said.
He added that developments in Beitbridge Town were made possible through innovative thinking and financial engineering, saying not only State resources were relied upon but instead leveraged on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), to ensure harnessing and combining resources for speedy and maximum impact on the project.
“ZimBorders were our preferred partners. The whole project was managed under a (BOT), or build-operate-transfer arrangement. The result is the ultra-modern facility I proudly launched last Wednesday, and which is set to transfer to the State at the expiry of the BOT agreement. We are also looking at developing a second bridge across the Limpopo to enhance movement and connectivity,” he said.
The President, however, warned that the modernisation of Beitbridge Border Post infrastructure does not automatically translate to better services, saying that its improved infrastructure was only enabling efficiencies.
He further said real efficiencies are human beings who make modern infrastructure deliver to satisfactory standards, also noting that the work ethic at the ports must improve to justify the huge investments already made.
He also noted that modernising the facility will close the tap on illicit and corrupt activities that were going on at the port of entry as seen by a growth in revenues already witnessed with the new developments. Other borders are also set to undergo similar transformation, he said.– @NyembeziMu
Online Reporter