EDITORIAL COMMENT : Journey of a thousand miles

21 Aug, 2020 - 00:08 0 Views
EDITORIAL COMMENT : Journey of a thousand miles

The ManicaPost

FINALLY, it is all coming together.

Work on the Dangamvura pipeline, which was supposed to have been completed more than a decade ago, has begun in earnest.

It is expected that by end of this year, residents from Dangamvura, Fern Valley, some parts of Sakubva and Nyamakate Industrial Area will have access to more reliable water supplies.

On the other hand, the Sakubva Urban Renewal Project, which has national project status, is slowly taking shape.

According to initial plans, the project was supposed to have started in March. However, due to funding delays owing to the national lockdown, progress had been stalled.

Constructed in 1925, most of Sakubva’s century-old houses are now in a poor state.

The project will see the demolition of the dilapidated houses and the modernisation of the old and run-down suburb through the construction of high rise flats for the benefit of the province’s growing population.

It will turn Mutare into a smart city in line with Vision 2030.

In addition, a Sakubva Flea Market and Green Market, a bus terminus and a Sakubva sports complex will also be constructed for the benefit of local farmers, entrepreneurs and sports enthusiasts.

Indeed, all infrastructure and housing developments must be accompanied by facilities that will create gainful employment for residents.

The cherries on the already yummy cake are the employment opportunities that these developmental projects are creating for the people of Manicaland.

Already, some locals have been employed to work on the respective projects.

More are expected to get employment as the projects intensify.

Indeed, good things come to those who wait.

When President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the Sakubva Urban Renewal Project in Mutare’s oldest high-density suburb last year in December, it seemed like a distant dream.

Such projects dovetails with the nation’s Vision 2030 of attaining a middle income economy in the next decade.

By then, people should have access to clean drinking water.

Employment opportunities should be vastly available, with corresponding better living conditions.

But to get there, there are a lot of things that still need to be addressed, including construction of roads, bridges, schools, clinics and housing across the province and the nation at large.

In all these projects, there is great need for strong interface between Government and Mutare City Council.

When this holistic approach is adopted, it promotes accountability and urgency in how projects are implemented.

But while Mutare City Council is the first local authority in Zimbabwe to embark on such a noble initiative, it should not end in Mutare.

The urban renewal project must be replicated across the province and in other councils outside Manicaland to promote modernisation and urban expansion.

Archaic and malfunctioning infrastructure simply has to go as it does not resonate with the country’s 2030 projections.

But as local authorities and Government join forces to improve the aesthetics of the country’s towns, cities and growth points, it is time for residents to adopt a culture of paying council rates. While the Dangamvura and Sakubva projects are being financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and BancABC respectively, more funds are still required for service delivery and other projects. Residents need to play their part and meet the authorities half way.

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