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Cletus Mushanawani Eastern Edition Bureau
Eastern Highlands Private Limited and Nyangani Renewable Energy have successfully rehabilitated the Arda-run Katiyo Airstrip in Honde Valley.

Arda board chairman, Mr Basil Nyabadza, confirmed the development yesterday.

He said the move would go a long way in improving transportation of produce from Honde Valley.

The refurbished Katiyo Airstrip was commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) on August 8 and the first landing was on August 9.

The plane that landed at the airstrip had 12 people on board, including the pilot.

Although CAAZ was still to respond to emailed questions, Mr Nyabadza, said: “It is true that the Katiyo Airstrip was refurbished by our partners, Eastern Highlands Limited and Nyangani Renewable Energy.

“The airstrip was in a dilapidated state and the coming on board of Eastern Highlands and Nyangani Renewable Energy to refurbish the airstrip was most welcome.

“We are in partnership with Eastern Highlands Limited in growing tea and we are excited about this development. I am not sure of the figures involved, but everyone in Honde Valley is excited about the refurbishment of the airstrip.”

He added: “This service was badly needed in Honde Valley and it will go a long way in ensuring easy transport for produce and people in the area. Honde Valley has a lot of produce which need air services.”

Engineer Rob Goddard from Nyangani Renewable Energy also confirmed the development.

“It took us about four weeks to redo the airstrip,” he said. “It has since been approved by the Civil Aviation of Zimbabwe and registered as one of the airstrips in Zimbabwe.

“Besides benefiting us, it will also boost tourists arrivals in Honde Valley. More people will have easy access to the valley, instead of enduring the treacherous drive down the valley.”

The refurbishment of Katiro Airstrip comes at a time when players in the tourism industry in Manicaland are calling for the establishment of a commercial airport in Mutare.

An ambitious Mutare Airport campaign project was launched in the city recently and was organised by local real estate businessman, Mr Joseph Sanhanga.

Business lobby groups that were present included Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe and Affirmative Action Group.

They all agreed that the establishment of a commercial airport project was long overdue in the province.

“After winning the ZNCC national Lifetime Achievement Award this year, I got inspired to start thinking about the legacy I will leave behind as a businessperson, not just for my family, but for this province,” said Mr Sanhanga.

“I am growing old, but I want to die knowing that I would have done my best as a businessman to speak and drive development in Manicaland for future generations to benefit.

“My passion is in real estate and entrepreneurship, which is why I am backing this vision of commercialising the Grand Reef Military Airbase as a Public-Private-Partnership and Special Economic Zones project.

“This brief launch pad is, therefore, meant to chart a way forward on this Mutare airport idea and many other strategic business projects that we should begin instigating and driving alone as the Manicaland business community.”

Mr Sanhanga said although the Mutare airport had been proposed and talked about at several forums in the past by CZI, ZNCC, hoteliers in the marketing and promotional campaign and the Eastern Highlands Experience launched in 2015, the onus was with local businesspeople to be proactive.

He said it would be futile to wait for Government, which has been forthright in indicating it did not have resources to finance the Mutare airport project at the moment.

Mutare has two optional sites to build an airport terminal, one is the run-down 950m runway Mutare Aerodrome in Sakubva near Mutare Teachers’ College and the other is the 1 243m runway Grand Reef Airport, used by the military.

ZNCC Manicaland chairman, who is also the provincial HAZ chairman, Mr Clive Chinwanda said a commercial airport was the missing gateway into Manicaland to stimulate economic activity through direct flights connectivity.

“In Manicaland, we are lacking direct flights like in other tourist destinations such as Victoria Falls, Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) and Kariba,” he said. “90 percent of the visitors in Manicaland are domestic.

“This proves how we need direct flights for easy connectivity to draw international tourists that do not like driving long distances. Without direct flights to Mutare, tourism in the Eastern Highlands will remain stagnant.”

CZI national vice-president, Mr Richard Chiwandire, said as a province when earmarking SEZs projects, there was need to consider the multiplier effect and how viable the project would be in future.

“Modern business has to be strategic with a futuristic vision,” he said. “So, I agree 100 percent on the need for an airport, but we need to speak with one voice.

“Manicaland cannot be overlooked in terms of economic turnaround of this economy, but we need to strategically position ourselves and create jobs locally. This entails creating industry for value addition of our raw materials.”

AAG Manicaland chairman, Mr Fungai Chaeruka, called for the creation of a committee to steer the project.

He said the launch pad should not be a “talk shop” and encouraged immediate action on the matter.