The Sunday Mail
Garikai Mazara
Each province has to stand by its resources — and rightfully benefit from the same.
To those who might have forgotten their geography onions, the Great Dyke literally divides the country into two: rivers on the western side of the geomorphological feature flowing towards the Zambezi River and those on the eastern side, flowing towards the Indian Ocean.
But that is not only about the other characteristic of the Great Dyke — it is home to a score-and-half of the country’s minerals, ranging from chrome, platinum, iron, limestone to gold.
Therefore the discussion around devolution, the buzzword in Zimbabwe’s politics at the moment, cannot be done without mentioning the generous hand of nature, which made sure half of the country has some share of the Great Dyke.
Starting in the north, from just outside Mvurwi in Mashonaland Central, the Great Dyke cuts across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe, running up to Zvishavane, in the south.
And in its path lies varying deposits of minerals, from the chrome mines of Impinge and Mutorashanga, the platinum deposits in Ngezi/Mhondoro, the goldfields of the Midlands to the chrome fields again in Shurugwi and the platinum again in Zvishavane.
Add to the mix limestone and iron deposits, and you have one rich belt of minerals the world over.
Stretching from Mashonaland Central, passing through Mashonaland West and winding off in the Midlands, one might be tempted to conclude that these three are the richest provinces in the country.
That is until you throw into the mix the province of Manicaland, which in the past decade has seen an unrivalled diamond rush. Or Matabeleland South with its River Ranch diamond fields.
When you move further north, Matabeleland North will equally boast of its rich deposits of coal and natural gas (which has remained untapped up to now), and you get an appreciation of why the discussion around devolution is rightfully gathering momentum in the country.
Each province has to stand by its resources — and rightfully benefit from the same.
Here is a breakdown of province-by-province natural endowments:
Mashonaland Central
As the year was drawing to a close last year, there was an early Christmas present, with the announcement that oil and natural gas has been discovered in Muzarabani.
Whilst exploration work is ongoing, indications are that the resources are in such abundance to warrant exploitation, which will see the province with a spring in its current step in the coming years. And the huge financial repercussions for the province will have an effect, undoubtedly, on the national purse as well.
The discovery of oil and gas in the province should not dwarf the rich mineral deposits that have been ever-present in Mashonaland Central. It is well known for its chrome deposits, with the mouth-end of the Great Dyke, in and around Impinge, famous for chrome mines.
Equally, gold is another naturally occurring mineral, with Mazowe and Shamva gold mines, though facing difficult times at the moment, being the flagship gold mines in the province. Small-scale gold miners litter the province and contribute immensely to the gross earnings of the province.
For years, Zimbabwe has been a breadbasket of the sub-region, partly thanks to the farming exploits of Mashonaland Central. From the world-famous Mazowe Citrus Estates, farming has always been an anchor in the financial freedom of the province.
The Zambezi River, which runs from Victoria Falls, cascading down towards the Indian Ocean, providing a plethora of tourism opportunities along its course, does so with an abundance of largesse in Mashonaland Central, with wildlife roaming freely.
Mashonaland West
Sharing a border with Mashonaland Central, the two provinces have many similarities – tourism opportunities, farming exploits and almost the same mineral deposits, derived from the shared Great Dyke.
Of particular interest is the Karo Resources platinum project that was granted a special permit and whose benefits will be fully appreciated when it becomes fully functional.
Already, the communities of Mhondoro and Ngezi are benefiting from the platinum extraction that is being undertaken in their backyard.
Further afield, on and along the mighty Zambezi River, Mashonaland West, gleefully referred to as Mashonaland Best by its residents, has a plethora of tourism opportunities to draw financial benefits from. It should be worth noting that it is along the stretch of Mashonaland West, and on the Zambezi River, that Kariba Dam, the world’s largest man-made lake, lies.
The tourism derivatives from Kariba Dam are too numerous to mention, save to say that annually it holds the Kariba Invitational Tiger Fishing Tournament, which has been running for over 50 years and draws attention and interest from anglers across the world.
And there is so much to write about the iconic Chinhoyi Caves, whose influence and catchment spreads across the whole world.
Mashonaland East
On paper, Mashonaland East looks like the least endowed province in terms of natural wealth but reality on the ground proves otherwise. For instance, gold is abundant in the province, with the Acturus Gold Mine being the most famous gold-extracting concern.
Black granite, whose exploitation and extraction has been a cause of concern for locals, as not much benefits derive towards communities, has found itself in homes, hotels and offices across the globe. The thrust, as devolution takes shape and root, is to have communities from which the precious stone is extracted, derive financial benefit from its exploitation.
Along the other two Mashonaland provinces, farming is also a cornerstone of the province with the rich soils adding so much value to the province’s coffers. Recently, there was a furore around the sanctity around the Domboshawa Hills, which houses a number of age-old rock paintings, whose existence were set to be disturbed with some mining operations. Tellingly, the province has not done much to market the hills, whose drawing power could be as much as the aforementioned caves in Chinhoyi.
Manicaland
Before the diamond rush of a decade ago, Manicaland has always held its own through farming coffee, tea, macadamia, bananas, apples and pineapples.
Then the diamond rush happened. There have been varying arguments as to how the Chiadzwa diamonds could have been handled, with some arguing that comparing Kimberley – the diamond centre of South Africa – with Chiadzwa, leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
But there is renewed hope that the consolidation of mining companies operating in the area into one could have far-reaching effects, chief among them being the accrual of benefits to the local communities, where devolution kicks in.
Tourism is equally rich in the province, with the Eastern Highlands as a whole being a destination not to miss on a visit to the country. Even domestic tourists consider the province a must-visit at any time of the year.
Masvingo
The recent commissioning of the Tugwi-Mukosi Dam, the largest inland lake in the country, has largely changed the fortunes of Masvingo, the province which carries the country’s oldest city of the same name.
For instance, where tourists used to troop to Kariba for fishing and boating, the lake offers a new and dynamic alternative tourism destination, with the added advantaged of cooler temperatures.
The nearby Great Zimbabwe, an iconic feature of the country’s tourist destinations, lies within a spitting distance of either Tugwi-Mukosi or Lake Mutirikwi, affording the tourist a world of tourism options to choose from.
Irrigation farming, especially sugar cane, will be boosted with the addition of citrus, thereby changing the financial fortunes of Masvingo.
Midlands
The debate has been raging for some time now — whether to resuscitate the Zisco steelworks or abandon the project completely and move over to Mvuma to open a new steel centre. Whichever side of the coin wins, Midlands will still be the ultimate winner, with the province retaining its status as the steel centre of the country.
Whilst the province awaits the sorting out of the steel debate, it continues to rake in millions from its gold, chrome and platinum reserves, staking its claim to be, probably, the richest province in the country.
Only on Thursday, President Mnangagwa officially commissioned the country’s sole platinum smelter at Anglo American’s Unki Mine. Mimosa Platinum mines lies nearby, so does the asbestos mining concerns, which are undergoing recapitalisation.
Matabeleland South
Just like Mashonaland East, Mat South looks like the poor, neglected child yearning for attention. That is until you hear that the province has the country’s best sunshine hours, giving it the potency to host the best solar farms in the country.
And if you add to the matrix the busiest border in the sub-region, Beitbridge, which handles an average of 15 000 travellers every day, then you get a sense of the turnover that Matabeleland South handles.
This is before you add cattle ranching, one of the cornerstones of the province’s income regimes.
Matabeleland North
The temptation, when the province is mentioned, is to think of Victoria Falls and Hwange, probably the most famous tourism destinations the province and the country is renowned for, the world over.
Very little regard is given to the economic prowess of Hwange, the coalfields, which have been sustaining electric power in the country for over a century now. Or the untapped natural gas occurring in Lupane and environs.
Potentially, the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project has the capacity to turn the Region IV and V province into an oasis. The Batoka hydro power project, under commission, also has the potential to change the fortunes of not only the province, but also the country.
Harare
The financial benefits accruing to Harare, without doubt, derive from it holding fort in central governance. Whilst the commissioning of the Victoria Falls International Airport has allowed some flights to land directly in the resort town, Harare still remains the capital and offers that centrality and connectivity to the world — it is a central hub.
Besides being at the heart of the nerve centre, Harare has its fair share of history, has its iconic place in the history of Zimbabwe that very fewer tourists would want to visit the country without taking in the world-renowned Sunshine City status of Harare.
Bulawayo
Roughly 30km outside Bulawayo lies the Matopos Hills, a granite outcrop that so enchanted Cecil John Rhodes when he made first sight that he vowed he should be buried there.
And so rich in history that a visit to Bulawayo should not be complete without taking in the city’s, and the country’s history as displayed in the museum in the centre of the city.
But if there is to be any sense of pride within the city, it has to be in it being the womb that carries the nerve-centre of the National Railways of the country. With the recapitalisation of the transport utility high on the agenda, its revival will see a renewed financial return on the province’s gross earnings.
Province-by-province, this offers a glimpse of what benefits will accrue to the earnings of each province if resources are made to benefit locals.
