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Masvingo Bureau

LOCAL universities will get the opportunity to showcase their capabilities when they partner the Government in crafting the long-awaited Tugwi-Mukosi master plan to pave the way for the full exploitation of the US$270 million water body in Masvingo.

Boasting a full capacity of 1,8 billion cubic metres and the potential to irrigate more than 25 000 hectares, the dam was commissioned in 2016 but has been grossly underutilised owing to the absence of the master plan.

The master plan will designate the land use pattern around the dam, allowing its full utilisation with recreational and tourism facilities and a national park among some of the projects earmarked for development.

Delays in drawing the plan have been a concern to various stakeholders and communities around the dam, which is viewed as a long term panacea to recurrent food shortages in arid parts of southern Masvingo and a game changer in terms of its vast economic potential.

Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira yesterday said a team of local universities had been taken on board by Government to work on the master plan.

This was in line with the Second Republic’s thrust for local institutions of higher learning to be epicentres of development solutions to the country’s challenges. According to Professor Murwira, the universities were already seized with the Tugwi-Mukosi master plan.

“We have been invited to do it (the master plan) and the space is opening up for universities to assist in the crafting of the master plan for Tugwi-Mukosi. They (universities) are working now and we expect it to be completed in the near future,’’ he said.

“We cannot do it (master plan) as fast as possible because of the current Covid-19 pandemic challenges but we are already on it, the team is already working on the master plan.’’

Prof Murwira said the team working on the master plan was led by the University of Zimbabwe and comprised most of the state-owned universities. “These universities are not in competition but are complementing each other. We set up a team from almost all the universities chaired by the UZ and they have been playing their natural role to help come up with solutions to some of the country’s challenges.’’

He said the incorporation of institutions of higher learning to assist in drawing the Tugwi-Mukosi master plan was not different from their participation in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

“What we are doing is exactly the same with what is happening in the Covid-19 fight. Who would have thought our universities would become focal points in the fight against the pandemic by manufacturing sanitisers, masks and other protective clothing, that is our new thrust as Government under what we call education 5.0,’’ said Prof Murwira.