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Ellen Chasokela Herald Reporter
The Sakubva renewal project in Mutare is set to have 45 000 rental properties from 3 020 rental properties when the programme is completed. The project is set to provide decent accommodation facilities and services to the Sakubva high-density suburb residents.

The initiative is being spearheaded by Government, through the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, which is working on new city designs and urban regeneration projects based on the concept of the modern and self-contained smart city.

In an interview yesterday at the sidelines of the Smart Cities conference, the chief director of Spatial Planning and Development Information in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Mr Hilary Mukaratirwa said Sabvuku will have a new look when the project is completed.

“Ministry Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and Ministry of Finance are constituting an infrastructure board to help the local authorities to provide the desired infrastructure in towns,” he said

“Ministries offices are going to upgrade, put more police stations, more schools, the whole thing is integrated because if you increase the households from 3 000 to 45 000, obvious you will need a district hospital and a lot of new facilities and services.

“But now we have the guidelines on how a modern primary school should look like. It should not be a ground floor school, it should be a double storey.

“We are having a concept of expanding going up (flats) because land is limited.’’

Mr Mukaratirwa said smart cities will help the nation to achieve President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 and also attaining world class city status.

Zimbabwe Institute of Geomatics (ZIG) president Mr Wilson Mhuri said smart cities were aimed at improving the lifestyle of residents.

“In the fast-growing cities of developing countries, basic needs such as energy, water, and mobility need to be met sustainably, while resources are managed effectively so technology and development is fundamental,” he said.

“To overcome city challenges, cities need smart solutions to ensure that they are optimised for sustainable economic activity, energy consumption and positive environmental impacts.

“We have issues of traffic congestions and crime scenes, especially hotspots and we are saying we can have sensors and cameras monitoring all these things and improve our delivery services.’’