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Cletus Mushanawani Mash Central Bureau
MASHONALAND Central Province is set for major infrastructure transformation, thanks to the $21, 6 million allocated to the 10 local authorities in the province in the 2019 national budget.

Various projects are at different stages of development as all the local authorities in the province were allocated various amounts, with Mazowe Rural District Council receiving the biggest chunk of $4,5m.

In a statement last week, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mtuli Ncube, said the budget allocations were aimed at improving service delivery and economic development of Mashonaland Central as planned in the Transitional Stabilisation Programme for 2019 national budget. A total of $13, 09m was set aside for the various projects.

Money was allocated to all the key sectors of the economy and already feasibility studies were done for the construction of a new district hospital in Mbire district. Two sites have been identified at Mushumbi Growth Point and Kanyemba new service centre.

The Finance Ministry has allocated $400 000 towards the construction and upgrading of Chapoto Rural Health Centre to a rural hospital. Work on the waiting mothers’ shelter is already in progress, while solar panels are still to be mounted.

In the education sector, $1 520 000 has since been disbursed towards the construction of a new school at Mariga Primary School. The construction of an Early Child Development block is at beam level. A further $300 000 for the project was provided for in the 2019 national budget, $520 000 was set aside for the construction of an ECD centre, four classroom blocks, ablution block, administration offices and two semi-detached houses teachers’ houses at Chiramba Satellite Primary School.

Chapoto Secondary School received a budget allocation of $750 000 towards the construction of boarding facilities for 80 learners (40 boys and girls). The money will also be used for the construction of the matron and boarding masters’ houses, dining and kitchen.

Last year, the province received $600 000 for the development of irrigation facilities. Soil tests, develop designs and clearing of some of the identified 200 hectares have been done.

In Kanyemba Village A and B two boreholes were drilled by Zinwa and are already functional.

The District Development Fund has proposed the upgrading of Chapoto Airstrip for it to accommodate wing aircrafts.

On the improvements of the road network, construction of the Mvurwi-Guruve Road has since been completed, while the reconstruction of the 141km Guruve-Kanyemba Road is in progress.

In an interview, the provincial administrator, Mr Cosmas Chiringa, said the ongoing devolution programme would change the face of Mashonaland Central.

“We are happy with the budget allocations to the province. Mashonaland Central is endowed with a lot of resources and if tapped to good use, it will be the best province in the country.

“We will continue monitoring all the projects so that they are completed within the set targets. Infrastructure development is key to any economic development and as Mashonaland Central, we hail the new dispensation for honouring the budget allocations,” he said.

The chairperson of Mashonaland Central Chief Executive Forum, Mr Paradzai Munyede, said they would work hard to improve the province’s economic standings.

“All these years we were not getting support from Central Government, but the coming in of the new dispensation has seen things taking a different direction. We are now getting what we were allocated in the 2019 national and stakeholders should expect a positive change.

“We recently held an all stakeholders indaba where the political leadership showed us the way. We will be turning a new leaf and give our ratepayers value for their money,” he said.

Mr Munyede added that some of the local authorities like Bindura and Mazowe were surrounded by commercial farmers where the owners were not meeting their part of the bargain by paying rates.

“It is known worldwide that local authorities do not survive from rates only. Since 2013 we were not getting a cent from Central Government. This year Mashonaland Central has been allocated $21,5m in the national budget and improvements in service delivery will be noted. If the political side lead by example, we are bound to follow,” he said.