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Walter Nyamukondiwa Kariba Bureau

The development of residential and commercial properties in Kariba has been adversely affected by the shortage of pit and river sand, resulting in developers travelling long distances to get the critical building material.

Sand abstractors, who used to get sand about 20 to 30 kilometres from the town, are now travelling to Makande and Magunje in Hurungwe, that are about 200 kilometres away.

This is after the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), which owns the land, stopped them from mining the sand since the area is part of a wildlife park.

The development has slowed down major projects in the resort town, including the multi-million-dollar Kariba Housing Development Project being bankrolled by the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ), as developers are now having to grapple with extra costs.

The Kariba housing project, financed to the tune of US$14,3 million, was earmarked for completion this year through funds disbursed under devolution.

Kariba Municipality housing and community services director Mr Godfrey Magijani confirmed the slow rate of development in the town.

“The process of building has slowed as people do not have access to this vital building material,” he said. “Sand for building in Kariba was being extracted on Zimparks land and as council we do not have authority over the places.”

To ameliorate the situation, Mr Magijani said Kariba Municipality initiated the application process for a permit, but ironically does not have land for that purpose.

EMA Mashonaland West provincial spokesperson Mr Munyaradzi Nhariswa said there was no authority licenced to extract sand in Kariba.

“As far as we know, there is no one issued with a permit to extract sand in Kariba, although there are other licencing authorities such as the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and the respective councils apart from EMA,” he said.

“The absence of a licence does not mean we are banning sand extraction in the town, but there is no one who has taken up the licence.”

Mr Nhariswa said any interested party should seek consent with the holder of the land before getting a licence from EMA which guarantees environmentally friendly extraction and reclamation.

Efforts to get a comment from Zimparks were not successful.