Tokwe Mukosi master  plan submitted to Cabinet Dr Mapuranga
Dr Mapuranga

Dr Mapuranga

Tinashe Makichi Business Reporter
The Tokwe Mukosi development master plan that is likely to trigger multi-million dollar businesses in the Lowveld if approved, has been submitted to Cabinet as Government intensifies efforts to fully exploit areas around the giant water reservoir. Government secured $20 million to craft the Tokwe Mukosi development master plan that will see the unveiling of a number of projects. In the course of the development of the master plan, a ministerial committee was dispatched to Tokwe Mukosi to explore a number of investment opportunities.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development Dr Machivenyika Mapuranga told the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset) using the Rapid Results Approach Mid-Term Review workshop that some considerable work has been undertaken under the cluster on Transport Infrastructure. Dr Mapuranga was making a presentation on behalf of RRA cluster on Transport Infrastructure.

“Full exploitation of Tokwe Mukosi and development of Tokwe Mukosi has been our target as a cluster and there has been decent progress as the master plan has since been submitted to Cabinet. We are also in the process of making sure access roads to Tokwe are developed. The master plan has since been submitted to Cabinet for review and approval,” said Dr Mapuranga. Other targets that the cluster has been looking at include accrediting Air Zimbabwe to the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). IOSA is the benchmark for global safety management in airlines. Dr Mapuranga said the cluster has been targeting that AirZim should be accredited by December 5, 2017.

“We are targeting to make sure AirZim is accredited to IOSA so that the airline resumes international flights,” said Dr Mapuranga. On the dualisation of Masvingo – Harare Highway project by Geiger International, Dr Mapuranga said there is going to be an appointment of an independent engineer acceptable to Government. He said the State Procurement Board has since given the green light to start hunting for the engineer.

On the food security cluster presented by Agriculture Permanent Secretary Ringson Chitsiko, there has been some progress but the biggest challenge has been the issuing of resettlement permits. Dr Chitsiko said the cluster targets licensing a number of resettlement permits from 1 585 by December 5, 2017 but the initiative has been moving at a snail pace.

The cluster is targeting supplying quality farmers with full inputs package for 2017 /2018 agricultural season. He said the cotton input support scheme has been the fastest to distribute inputs to farmers while also Government has started delivering inputs for The Presidential Input Scheme and Command Agriculture. Mr Chitsiko said the cluster is also targeting to increase broiler and egg production from six million broiler day-old chicks and 3 million dozen table eggs per month by December 05, 2017. On the utilities cluster Energy and Power Development Permanent Secretary Partson Mbiriri, said the country at the moment has inadequate storage facilities.

He said the cluster targets that there should be installation of additional ethanol storage facilities at the Mabvuku Deport. Mr Mbiriri added that the cluster has been targeting to launch the Bulawayo Re-powering project by December 05, 2017. The project, however, has been facing material problems and shortage of foreign currency.

“Meeting the targets set will be difficult as the Bulawayo Re-powering is one of the projects that has been facing material problems due to depleted nostros,” said Mr Mbiriri.

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