Nqobile Bhebhe [email protected]
GOVERNMENT is stepping up efforts to complete the Lupane provincial headquarters, with National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Paul Mavima appealing for additional Treasury funding to accelerate construction of the complex and operationalise Matabeleland North’s designated provincial capital.
The project is expected to strengthen decentralisation, bring provincial administration closer to communities and unlock new opportunities for economic development in Lupane and surrounding areas.
Prof Mavima said the Ministry had submitted a ZiG287 million funding bid for 2027 to facilitate completion of the Government complex, which will accommodate provincial offices and departments.
Although Treasury has proposed ZiG144 million for the project, the Minister said additional resources would be required to ensure the complex is completed and the provincial administration begins operating from Lupane.
Speaking during the ongoing 2027 Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo, Prof Mavima said the ministerial residence in Lupane had already been completed, laying the foundation for the establishment of the provincial headquarters.
“The problem in planning is not with accommodation for the minister because the minister’s residence was completed several years ago.
“In fact, we are worried that it will deteriorate because it has been sitting there for some time,” Minister Mavhima said.
He said the focus was now on completing the supporting infrastructure to enable the provincial administration to operate effectively from Lupane.
“But the minister cannot go and operate from Lupane alone without the staff that are supposed to be in his office and in the other departments for the province.
“This is the reason why we have been calling for a number of years, we have been calling for resources to finish the construction of the Lupane government complex.
“It is a project with a contract value of 8.2 million Zig and the contractor has already been identified.
“The contractor has sunk in his own resources to do the initial part of the construction but we have not paid the contractor and therefore the project has stalled.”
Prof Mavima said completing the project would enable Government to advance its decentralisation agenda and establish a fully functional provincial administration in Lupane.
He said the Ministry had prioritised the project in its 2027 funding proposals, with the aim of bringing the long-awaited provincial headquarters closer to reality.
“So, for 2027, we have made a bid of 287 million ZIG and we worked on this to actually lead to the completion of that project.
“But the ZIG allocation for the project is 144 million, as suggested by the chairman.
“So we see ourselves going through 2027 without completing this project again and this provincial headquarters will not be operational.
“This is a very emotional project, and we are appealing to both Parliament as well as the Treasury to facilitate the release of resources so that we can complete these housing units so that the potential headquarters can operate in Lupane.”
The completion of the complex is expected to enhance coordination of Government programmes in Matabeleland North while improving access to public services for residents.
The development is also expected to stimulate economic activity in Lupane through increased demand for accommodation, transport, retail and other services associated with a fully operational provincial administration.
Hwange East legislator Joseph Bonde welcomed the need to prioritise the relocation of provincial administration to Lupane, saying the current arrangement in Bulawayo was limiting the province’s development potential.
Speaking during the same Pre-Budget Seminar, Bonde called on Government to ensure provincial leadership operates within its designated jurisdiction.
“The provincial administration is being run from Mhlahlandlela, here in Bulawayo.
“I would recommend that the Minister of Local Government to please first take the accommodation of our Minister.
“We want the Honourable Minister to actually also operate from their own jurisdiction rather than operating from Bulawayo.
“We are being short-changed in that area,” he said.
The relocation of the provincial administration to Lupane is expected to strengthen the town’s role as the administrative and development centre of Matabeleland North.
It would also bring Government leadership closer to communities, improving engagement with residents and facilitating the implementation of provincial development priorities.
The Lupane Government complex is part of broader efforts to decentralise public administration and ensure provinces are better positioned to coordinate development programmes in line with their economic potential.
Matabeleland North has significant opportunities in agriculture, mining, tourism and infrastructure development, sectors that require effective provincial coordination and engagement with local communities.
The operationalisation of the provincial headquarters would provide a central platform for Government departments to work together in advancing these priorities.
