The Sunday Mail
Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
THE creation of a smart city with modern infrastructure and amenities in Chegutu is gathering pace as the layout plan is presently being finalised.
Risboro Farm, which measures 1 176 hectares, was handed over to the Chegutu Rural District Council (RDC) and the Chegutu Municipality by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in 2022 for the expansion of the town, as well as creation of the smart city.
The smart city initiative is being implemented by a joint committee established through Statutory Instrument 83 of 2022, which mandates the Chegutu RDC and Chegutu Municipality to run the project together.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Chegutu acting RDC chief executive officer Mr Admire Machingura said the project is taking shape.
“The Risboro Farm . . . presently falls under the jurisdiction of Chegutu RDC and constitutes the Chegutu Municipality’s expansion belt. This rural-urban nexus essentially precipitated the collaboration of the two local authorities to establish the Risboro Joint Committee to manage the transformation of the farmland into a modern urban development, as mandated by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works,” said Mr Machingura.
“I am glad to inform you that all is moving according to plan, as our consultant is finalising the layout plan.
“The land use layout plan is currently being developed by a consultant (Makums Consulting) and is due for approval by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. Final consultation processes are underway, as facilitated by the consultant.”
Once approved, the layout plan will lead to the design of a cadastral survey plan, where all stands — commercial, industrial, institutional and residential — will be demarcated.
After this, a general plan will be produced, while infrastructure designs will begin. The designs will guide the installation of infrastructure.
The site of the proposed smart city borders Chegutu Municipality and lies some 110 kilometres from Harare, along the Harare-Bulawayo highway.
It is also 90km from Chinhoyi, which is the provincial capital of Mashonaland West province. For Chegutu Municipality, the project will also address the town’s ballooning housing backlog.
The town council’s acting public relations officer, Mr Ngonidzashe Muzanenhamo, said the smart city is a standalone project that will not affect service delivery in other parts of Chegutu town.
“Chegutu Municipality will establish a separate water treatment plant for the smart city to accommodate its residents without constraining those in other suburbs,” he said.
“Also, the smart city project will address the housing shortages since more residential and commercial stands are going to be created. It is earmarked to be a diversified city that accommodates high-, low- and medium-density residential settlements.”
Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts provincial chairperson Mr Liberty Chitiya said Chegutu residents are excited by the project. “We laud the decision by the Government to release land for the project as it is going to safeguard home seekers from land barons. We are also going to see the development of a new and modern area in Chegutu, in line with the smart city concept that promotes ICT (information and communication technology) development and the latest infrastructure,” said Mr Chitiya.
Overall, a smart city strives to be a more tech-efficient, sustainable and liveable place for its inhabitants.
“In line with the devolution agenda by the central Government, the gross domestic product of the province, as well as anticipated innovation capacity set to be ushered in through technological advancement, courtesy of high-tech ICT interventions packaged in the new smart city, the fortunes of Chegutu should change dramatically over a short space of time,” reads part of a report compiled by the Risboro Joint Committee’s secretariat.
“It is fundamentally intended that the Risboro Smart City, besides providing modern urban services with digital technology embedded across all city functions, will also offer high-quality accommodation, industrial and commercial services for sustainable economic development to the ever-increasing Chegutu populace.”
