Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE Mutare Registrar’s Office has issued more than 30 000 e-passports since its commissioning in September 2025, while a new resin manufacturing plant — set for completion in June 2026 — is expected to create over 2 500 jobs.
These are among the many developmental milestones being recorded under the Second Republic in Manicaland.
Under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, the Registrar’s Office in Mutare has undergone a remarkable transformation, shifting from makeshift wooden cabins to a modern, state-of-the-art complex.
Since its commissioning, the office has streamlined operations, eliminating the long queues that once characterised the process of acquiring civic documents.
In Mutasa South Constituency on the outskirts of Mutare, a US$15 million Chinese investment in resin production is rapidly taking shape.
The project, spearheaded by Komo United Resin Private Limited, is progressing at pace, with most of the heavy-duty machinery already delivered through the Sea Port of Beira in Mozambique.
Once operational, the plant will employ thousands of skilled and unskilled workers, marking another significant achievement for the province. The tangible progress was showcased during a media tour of Manicaland’s developmental projects led by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, on Wednesday afternoon. The tour included stops at Grand Reef Airport, Komo United Resin Private Limited, Manicaland Registrar’s Office, Grain Marketing Board (GMB) silos, Mutare Teachers’ College Juice and Water Processing Plant, and Forbes Border Post.
Speaking during the tour, Minister Muswere emphasised that these achievements were made possible through the visionary stewardship of President Mnangagwa
“Thousands of kilometres of road rehabilitation and construction, in terms of tar and gravel, have been achieved, with a number of projects also still underway, which also include the Christmas Pass Bypass Road, modernisation of the Forbes Border Post in order to enhance the movement of goods and services between Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the rest of the world. These are some of the success stories under the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“Modernisation and construction of a number of infrastructure projects at Manicaland State University Applied Sciences (MSUAS), Mutare Teachers’ College and Mutare Polytechnic are some of the notable achievements that we have managed to register as a Government.
“Added to this is the completion of the Manicaland Civil Registry Office in Mutare. You will recall that prior to the inception of the new political dispensation, queues for birth certificates and passports were an everyday thing. However, through the Public Private Partnership arrangement, we have managed to give ease-of-doing business as well as enhance service delivery,” said Minister Muswere.
On the tourism and hospitality front, the number of tourists visiting the Eastern Highlands has increased with the introduction of the Harare-Mutare Air Zimbabwe flights.
The initiative, which was made possible by the revamping of Grand Reef Airport, has seen Air Zimbabwe managing three flights a week, and expectations are high to see their operations being enhanced to daily flights.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza said the initiative will soon be augmented by Terminal Two, which is going to be built in Mutasa, with a four kilometre runway and cargo airport.
“This is definitely a game-changer. We are witnessing an increase in the arrival of tourists who are enjoying the convenience of leaving Harare and being in Mutare in a few minutes, then being able to be at Mutarazi Falls and other tourism destinations in the Eastern Highlands in a short space of time.
“This will be augmented as we expect Terminal Two, which is going to be built in Mutasa, with a 4km runway and a cargo airport, where our greenbelt in Mutasa and other areas in Manicaland will make everything much more convenient. We are happy with the progress that we are making.
“When you start a big project of this magnitude, it will always take time for people to appreciate the sense. But we are happy with the progress, given that they are now flying three times a week. When we started, it was never really meant to be an everyday flight, but I hope with the coming in of National Development Strategy (NDS2), and the continued booming of the economy, we will revert to daily flights,” said Minister Mugadza.
