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Lovemore Kadzura Herald Correspondent
Rusape Town Council has tasked Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) to design traffic lights for the town, carry out a household survey and a water audit. The work by CUT would result in the local authority improving its performance in key functions such as engineering and housing delivery for the benefit of residents and ratepayers.

In an interview with The Herald, acting Rusape Town secretary, Mr Solomon Gabaza, said the university would carry out a housing property stock count, water audit and would also set up the first ever traffic lights for the town.

“We are glad to announce that Rusape Town Council has engaged the Chinhoyi University of Technology to work with us on three critical areas that are property stock count, water audit and installation of traffic lights,” he said.

“On property stock count, we want to establish the exact number of properties in this town because currently we are operating on an estimated figure. The team from the university will physically visit each household taking full detail such as stand number, ownership establishing, whether council services are available or missing in the process.

“The information will assist us to plan properly. We will compare the findings of the team with what we are currently relying on. The information will be stored physically and electronically for easy access unlike the current scenario where we are grappling with challenges of missing files. There are property owners who are failing to get title deeds because they are staying in some areas that were not surveyed and the team will also carry out title and topographical surveys.”

Mr Gabaza said the team would also look at properties, which are not on the council’s billing system. Rusape’s water loss stands at 43 percent, while the World Bank standard is 25 percent. Council, said Mr Gabaza, needed to know where its water was going and rectify possible shortcomings.

“The team from CUT is also going to design traffic lights for the whole town, but due to financial constraints we are only going to install two along the Harare-Mutare Highway, one at Vengere turn-off and the other at Nyanga turn-off,” said Mr Gabaza. He said the partnership between Rusape and CUT was strategic and cost saving, as the university was not charging them commercial rates.

“We are going to get assistance in solving some of our current challenges,” he said.
“The partnership is affordable to us because they are not a private entity, which charges commercial rates that we cannot afford. They are also going to train our staff in those areas. The team comprises professors, engineers and other top technocrats.”