Manicaland witnessing unprecedented development

Manicaland province will host this year’s main Independence Day celebrations. Again, history will be made as it will be the second time the main event will be held outside the capital, Harare, in line with the Second Republic’s drive to decentralize national events. Mashonaland Central province hosted last year’s commemorations. Preparations for the event are in full swing. The Sunday Mail’s EMMANUEL KAFE interviewed Manicaland Minister of Provincial Affairs and Devolution ADVOCATE MISHECK MUGADZA, who highlighted some of the developmental milestones the province has achieved so far.

 

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Q: Can you provide an overview of the major infrastructure developments underway and those that have been completed in Manicaland province?

 A: Under the Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Programme and through funding from the Government and a development partner, the Chibuwe Irrigation Scheme (367 hectares) in Chipinge district was rehabilitated and modernised at a cost of US$1,6 million.

About 50ha were upgraded from surface irrigation to centre pivots. Under the same programme, work is still going on to rehabilitate the 602ha Cashel Valley and Mutambara cluster in Chimanimani district at a cost of US$3,5 million. These include Bomhoni (48ha); Mandima Main (186ha); Mandima 2 and 3 (22ha); Svinurai A, B and C (81ha); Maraisi A and B (43ha); Quaggas (39ha); Ruwaka (63ha); and Mutambara (120ha).

Works are 94 percent complete and 489ha have been completed and handed over to farmers. The intervention has modernised the irrigation system from open channel canals to a piped system.

A total of 116ha have been converted from a surface system to a gravity-fed sprinkler. The project is earmarked for completion by May 9, 2024.

In Makoni district, the programme is funding the construction of the 384ha Romsley Irrigation Scheme.

Twenty-four centre pivots have been installed and land clearance is underway. Overall project progress is at 83 percent.

There is also a project targeting the development of 500ha of the 8 000ha Kondo/Rimbi Irrigation Scheme in Chipinge district.

The project is currently at feasibility stage. Apart from the major projects stated, the Government, with support from development partners, has also rehabilitated over 15 irrigation projects that were affected by Cyclone Idai-induced flooding in Chipinge and Chimanimani.

The projects include Musikavanhu, Gambadziya, Bwerudza and Maunganidze in Chipinge; Nyanyadzi, Nenhowe, Gudyanga, Mhandarume, Bvumbura, Nyabande and Shinja in Chimanimani; and Chipendeke in Mutare district, to mention but a few.

There are also bulk water infrastructure development projects.

Various water infrastructure has been established across the province. They include Marovanyati Dam, with a capacity of 50 million cubic metres; the Murambinda Water Supply Station; Muchekeranwa Dam with capacity of 75 million cubic metres. The Gimboki potable water connection project is ongoing.

Plans are in motion to establish the Mutasa airport and feasibility studies are underway. Construction of the new Birchenough Bridge is also at feasibility study stage.

 

Q: What is being done in terms of roads and electricity to aid this developmental trajectory of the province?

 A: In terms of road rehabilitation, the Nyanga-Ruwangwe; Murambinda-Birchenough; Chipinge-Mt Selinda roads construction and maintenance are underway. As for the Christmas Pass Bypass Road, the feasibility study and project design have been done.

There is the Chimanimani-Chipinge 155km of 33kv power line, which was reinforced after Cyclone Idai at a cost of US$5,5 million. In Odzi, we have a 600kW mini hydropower station that was established with grid connection at a cost of US$5 799.

In Odzani, there is a one-megawatt mini-hydropower station that was established, and the installation of evacuation lines to the national grid is underway.

Solar installations were carried out under the net metering programme at Southdowns, Tanganda Tea Estates in Chipinge, the Nat-Pharm warehouse in Mutare and Victoria Chitepo General Hospital.

These projects will see customers benefitting from a reduction of their bills and the surplus being fed into the grid.

The national grid extension was established to electrify the following rural communities: Mabiya in Mutare district, which is now complete; Emerald Hill in Chipinge district, which is 30 percent complete, with some clients already connected.

Other areas set to be connected include Bangure, Ndyarima, Sostein, Mudanda, Madzivire in Buhera district; the Hakwata solar mini-grid in Chipinge district; Tsatse School to Chief Tangwena in Nyanga district; and Ruwangwe-Kazozo-Mukunza in Nyanga district.

Under the electrification of housing development programme, 7 046 connections are expected to be made in Chipinge, Mutare, Rusape, Middle Sabi, Chimanimani and Nyanga.

All the projects are underway. In terms of rural electrification, in the last two years, the Rural Electrification Fund (REF) has extended the national grid by 300km to electrify rural public institutions (55 schools and 14 clinics) and 875 rural households.

In addition, the Government and its partners have also solarised 64 schools and 133 clinics in the rural areas of Manicaland province. Recently, the Hakwata community solar project was completed, and it covers Hakwata Primary School, clinic, business centre and 80 community homesteads. There are also 90 domestic biodigesters, 10 solar home systems and an automated weather station.

 

Q: What about the information communication technology sector?

A: Progress has also been made in terms of digital infrastructure. Internet access plays a crucial role in improving the quality of education in rural areas.

With a deliberate focus on rural development, Powertel is rolling out a fibre optic network to enhance data connectivity in Middle Sabi and Chipinge. This will be achieved by utilising existing electricity lines and deployment of new fibre optic equipment for internet access. The team is currently working on extending the network to Hauna under the rural datafication initiative.

In progress is the Forbes interconnection to Mozambique, upgrading the international internet gateway to enable alternative access to the internet.

For educational institutions, internet has been connected at the following schools: Kondo Primary, Mwacheta Primary, Mwacheta Secondary, New Vision Academy, Mutema Secondary, Mutema Primary and Chibuwe High. Work is still in progress at Rimbi Primary, Curwins Primary and Kubatana Secondary.

NetOne has deployed a total of 126 physical sites in Manicaland province, with 77 being 3G and 101 being 4G sites over the past five years. The installation of 3G and 4G base stations in communities has had a significant impact on communication, broadband connectivity and socio-economic development.

The deployment of these technologies has greatly enhanced connectivity in communities, Extending mobile network coverage to previously underserved areas and enabling access to voice and data services.

This improved connectivity has bridged the digital divide, facilitating communication and information sharing. Furthermore, 3G and 4G base stations offer faster data speeds than older technologies, resulting in quicker internet browsing, seamless video streaming and efficient file downloads and uploads. This has improved the overall user experience and supported the adoption of data-intensive applications and services. The availability of 3G and 4G infrastructure has also promoted widespread access to mobile broadband and financial services, allowing individuals to access the internet on their mobile devices and engage in e-commerce, online education and other digital services. Econet wireless upgraded 174 base stations with new high-capacity equipment, which means improved uptime and increased capacity to manage growing traffic.

Previously, 4G network access was limited to urban areas, but now rural areas are also enjoying the same service. By May 2024, an additional 32 new sites will be established, and 10 of them are already on air.

This will increase coverage to marginalised communities. Power and transmission upgrades targeting all the sites are ongoing. TelOne is currently providing internet services to over 1 000 users across the province.

These include schools, hospitals, clinics and houses. These projects are being done under the TelOne Self Fund and also the Universal Service Fund. In order to improve service provision in the region, the Mutare Media Gateway was upgraded by Telecel. Three new sites were commissioned, namely Dangamvura 3, Dangamvura 15 and Murahwa.

 

Q: How has the agriculture sector in your province benefitted from the Second

Republic’s programmes?

A: In Manicaland province, the Government has made a number of investments in the agriculture sector. To ensure value addition, banana and macadamia processing plants were established in Mutasa and Chipinge, respectively. This means processed bananas and macadamia will have more value on the market, thus improving our provincial GDP (gross domestic product).

Currently, there is rehabilitation of various irrigation schemes. A total of 1 466ha have been rehabilitated to date. Due to the adverse impact of climate change, the Government is facilitating the expansion of the irrigation area to increase yields in the future. The Government is also facilitating agricultural loans through CBZ Bank, AFC and NMB to support farmers in purchasing inputs.

 

Q: Could you briefly outline how the education sector has benefitted over the last five years?

A: At least 96 primary and secondary schools were solarised in Manicaland province. Fifty-three are in Buhera district; 16 in Chipinge district; four in Makoni; and 23 in Nyanga districts. About 234 schools procured additional computers and are connected to the internet.

The Government has also equipped schools with water infrastructure. Most schools now have access to clean water. In total, 174 new boreholes were drilled and 342 were rehabilitated.

Chimanimani district was assisted with 20 piped water schemes that use gravity.