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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Beitbridge residents have urged authorities at the local municipality to reconfigure the town’s economic and infrastructural development thrust in line with modern urban development trends.

The Beitbridge Combined Residents Association spokesperson, Ms Patricia Ndlovu, said yesterday that technocrats should be engaged to re-organise the town, whose infrastructure was clustered. She said it was important to put prime land to good use.

“As a municipality, we need to change our mindset and reconfigure tools and the town set up in-line with modern urban development trends,” said Ms Ndlovu.

“We encourage the local authority to consider engaging technical people in both engineering and planning section who are serious with the transformation process.

“At the moment, we have a lot of areas which need attention.

“These include the infrastructure in the central business district (CBD), housing development, sewer and water reticulation, drainage systems and upgrading the road network and bridges.”

Ms Ndlovu said the town’s business hub should be located in one place rather than the current set up where buildings were scattered all over the place.

She said those who planned the town at its inception had overlooked its anticipated future development and growth as an urban settlement.

“We must have a situation where areas are zoned and construction of buildings is set according to agreed standards,” said Ms Ndlovu. “The situation where we have discord in standards must come to an end.”

Beitbridge Business Association chairperson, Mr Nkululeko Mbedzi said it was critical for the local authority to enforce uniformity in terms of infrastructure development in the CBD and zoned business centres.

“We need a set up where there is uniformity on how buildings in both the CBD and business centres conform to set standards,” he said.

“The local authority may apply the concept which is being implemented in our twinning town of Musina where infrastructure development is zoned and conforms to a certain style.

“For example, we can have an area designated for high rise buildings only and defined lines of businesses.”

Beitbridge was accorded town status in 2007 under the National Economic Priority Development programme (NEDPP) and was upgraded into a municipality in March this year.

The town has an estimated population of 70 000 including 13 000 in transit daily.

Last year, Nhewa Town Planners & Development Consultancy conducted a study which will see the drafting of a Local Development Plan to direct the town’s development and growth between 2017 and 2032.