The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THOSE who grew up in Chipinge and Rusitu using the road connecting the two places in the south east part of Manicaland will attest to the fact that each time it rains, one would certainly sleep on either side of the two places, with the return trip impossible due to the bad state of the road.
No doubt, the commissioning of the 23km Kopa-Jopa Road by President Mnangagwa is part of a broader Government commitment to improve the livelihoods of the citizens through infrastructure development.
The road whose rehabilitation was premised on the build-back-better principle was completed within 14 months at a cost of ZWL$1.2 billion.
The scope of the project included the upgrading of four bridges from single lane low-level to double lane high-level standard.
The rehabilitation of the road brought with it joy to the people of Chimanimani and Chipinge whose lives were devastated by the Cyclone Idai.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, agriculture, schools, health facilities and road infrastructure were severely destroyed.
Many people lost their homes, with Chimanimani and Chipinge being the worst affected.
But guided by the build-back-better principle, Government was faced with the cumbersome task to ensure that the survivors of Cyclone Idai had decent shelter.
Now roads in Chimanimani have been reconstructed and are in a much better shape than they were before the disaster.
In the education sector, old schools that were damaged were refurbished.
New ones were also constructed with higher and better standards.
The same goes for the provision of decent housing.
The list goes on and on!
Far from the commendable Cyclone Idai recovery programme, Government has presided over the construction of new infrastructure and investment promotion.
On yet another different developmental project, so much has been written and said about Marovanyati Dam in the arid Buhera District of Manicaland.
Gwayi-Shangani Dam is an idea that was conceived in 1912 and to date the project is on the verge of completion, thanks to the hands-on approach of the Second Republic.
Ideally, the dam will be the third largest in the country after Lake Mutirikwi and Tugwi-Mukosi.
The massive structure, a colossal undertaking, will impound 691 000 000 cubic litres of water.
Gwayi-Shangani Dam is being constructed on the confluence of Gwayi and Shangani rivers.
It is a massive project that will transform the country economically and socially.
Dinson Iron and Steel Company, a subsidiary of Chinese conglomerate Tsinshang Holdings, is setting up a billion-dollar steel plant which will be one of the biggest in Sub-Saharan Africa in the name of Manhize Steel Plant.
The company is also working with Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) to set up its own power line.
The commissioning and full operationalisation of Dinson Iron and Steel Company (DISCO) in Mvuma is now set for this year.
Local Government and Public Works Minister, Honourable Winston Chitando, aptly put it correctly when he said the base for Vision 2030 has been laid.
Vision 2030 seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle income economy by 2030.
It is premised on promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, equitable development and prosperity for all.
Government has spent over US$2.5 billion on infrastructure projects, which are key enablers and accelerators of Vision 2030.
In his address during the Smart Cities Conference in Nyanga last week, Minister Chitando said: “The base for Vision 2030 has been laid. There was need for enablers, and this is what Government has been, and is still focused on.
“There has been significant and irreversible progress towards the attainment of Vision 2030. The establishment of agricultural production boosting mechanisms has already started bearing fruit, and this is why Zimbabwe, baring this year’s drought situation, has for the first time in so many years managed to produce enough grain to feed itself.
“For the first time, Zimbabwe has managed to produce enough wheat for domestic use as well as export. Indeed, the base has been set for the achievement of Vision 2030.
“We will no doubt regain our breadbasket status in the not so distant future. It is in this context that we are calling upon local authorities to up their game, and fit in this developmental trajectory being spearheaded by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa,” he said.
Just as Rome was not built in a day, the tireless efforts of the Second Republic, epitomised by the numerous visible and touchable developmental projects on the ground, will surely culminate in the attainment of Vision 2030!
