The Sunday Mail
Debra Matabvu
THE people of Muzarabani district in Mashonaland Central province, 300 kilometres north of Harare, have often felt that they are at the backwaters of development in Zimbabwe.
Located in one of the country’s driest regions, Muzarabani is known for frequent droughts and sweltering temperatures.
When it rains, the area is prone to flooding. As a result, many investors avoid launching projects in the area.
However, winds of change are blowing in Muzarabani.
It is on the cusp of massive development as Australian firm Invictus Energy continues its exploration for oil and gas.
The Government has pledged to transform Muzarabani into a town by supporting infrastructural development projects.
As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Invictus is playing its part in supporting the Government’s vision for Muzarabani, with many developmental projects underway to modernise the area.
Since the company started exploring for oil and gas in 2021, there have been noticeable developments in the rural area, which borders Mozambique.
Construction of a 137km tarred road from Muzarabani to Kanyemba has started, in a development that will change the face of the district, as most roads were known to be unnavigable.
Local residents have a lot to smile about, as to date, more than 100 people from the area have been employed at the Invictus project.
The Australian listed firm is now ready to commence drilling, with results of the process set to be known after two months.
State-of-the-art equipment, including assembling of dripping rigs, has been set up on site.
Drilling will take place at two wells, Mukuyu-1 and Baobab, with the company expecting to dig 3,5km and 1,5 km respectively, as US$26 million will be spent on the drilling.
To support the community, Invictus has installed solar-powered boreholes at five clinics and refurbished classroom blocks at a number of schools, among other initiatives.
One of Muzarabani’s traditional leaders, Chief Hwata (Olasis Tanyanyiwa Musemwa), said it was pleasing that Invictus had committed itself to developing the area.
“A lot has been done in the past 12 months and we expect major developments in this area. As the community leadership, we have presented our suggestions for infrastructural development projects that we want. We are obviously pleased that many local people have been employed so far.”
Chief Hwata said the area is abuzz with upstream and downstream activities jolted by the Invictus project.
“There is so much going on. There is interest in many things. Business owners now want to open new enterprises and many people want to purchase housing stands here. I can tell you that cash is now circulating in the area. This alone is testament of bigger things to come,” he said.
“We are seeing that the President’s message ‘Leaving no one and no place behind’ is taking shape in Muzarabani,” added Chief Hwata.
Invictus Energy representative Mr Paul Chimbodza said developing the area is one of the company’s priorities.
“We have a robust CSR plan which will escalate as the project progresses. Although we are still at the exploration stage, we did not want to wait until the actual drilling starts. So we have started with the installation of solar gadgets and general assistance to communities. With time, we will embark on projects such as the construction of bridges and other infrastructure.”
He said as part of their strategy, they will consult community leaders.
“Our method is not to be prescriptive, but engage the community on what they need. We will do a community needs analysis. From that analysis we will then pick projects that we will be implementing for that season.”
The residents of Muzarabani expressed excitement over what the project promises to offer.
Local herdsman Stanely Mudziviri implored the Government to play an oversight role to ensure Muzarabani undergoes transformative development.
“We have been used to poverty and hunger in this area because of the climate that we have here. Droughts are common and many people have lost their lives, livestock and property due to floods. My children walk for 15 kilometres to get to the next school. We hope this project will launch a new era for Muzarabani. We do not want to be left behind.”
Another resident Tafadzwa Petsi appealed for the construction of dams to facilitate irrigation projects.
“I am an ardent farmer, but due to the aridity of our area, we always face water challenges. I hope the Government and the new company can help us by setting up irrigation projects that we can be part of.”
Natural gas and oil exploration in the area dates back to the late 1970s when investigations were done by the colonial regime.
About a decade later, global oil giant Mobil Corp did some exploration but did not gain much from the exercise.
In 2021, Invictus Energy started recording seismic data.
Using ultra-modern data processing techniques, Invictus reprocessed the data gathered by Mobil and has found strong evidence that the underlying geographical structures may host domes and traps that could contain oil and gas.
