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George Maponga in Masvingo

Zimbabwe’s largest interior water body, Tugwi-Mukosi, has set Masvingo on the cusp of massive socio-economic transformation with Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira saying the dam has already started changing lives of communities in the province.

Minister Chadzamira says the recent approval of the dam’s combination master plan by Cabinet has set the stage for full exploitation of the reservoir which offers boundless opportunities in the spheres of agriculture, tourism and fishing.

Addressing Masvingo journalists today during a Press Club discussion centred on opportunities at Tugwi-Mukosi that was organised by the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), Minister Chadzamira noted that the dam will avail water for irritating 40 000hectares around the water body and in downstream areas.

“We are also expecting investment in tourism with investors building hotels, lodges and holiday homes within the dam’s immediate environments,” said Minister Chadzamira.

“Our people are also getting fishing licences to venture into commercial fishing and many cooperatives from communities around the water body have been licensed, changing the lives of our people in the process.”

He said plans to create a perennial greenbelt around Tugwi-Mukosi and the Lowveld are in full swing with preliminary irrigation works evident at Banga irrigation scheme in Chivi South that is undergoing expansion thanks to Tugwi-Mukosi water.

“Developments at Tugwi-Mukosi to develop irrigation around the dam and in downstream areas dovetail with plans to open a vast greenbelt across the Lowveld that will be irrigated using additional water from Runde-Tende Dam that will soon be built.”

He said half of the planned Runde-Tende Dam water will be exported to South Africa’s Limpopo Province.

Chivi Rural District Council chief executive Mr Tariro Matavire revealed plans to develop a smart city at Chibi Turn Off Business Centre to leverage on its proximity to Tugwi-Mukosi Dam.

ZUJ is holding a series of Press Club discussions to accentuate development journalism as part of efforts to catalyze socio-economic development through creating forums and platforms for policy makers and public officials to directly engage with communities.

Masvingo is the first leg of nationwide Press Club discussions that will be replicated in all the country’s 10 administrative provinces to tackle topical issues that have a direct bearing on people’s lives.