eBusiness Weekly
Golden Sibanda
Government is finalising and fine-tuning the Tugwi-Mukosi Development Master Plan, which is expected to transform Masvingo and profoundly impact the entire Zimbabwean economy, highly places sources said.
The plan includes rolling out an extensive commercial ventures such as fisheries, tourism and hospitality, irrigation, farming and road, rail, air and transport services.
The Government has committed $20 million into the crafting designing of this important master plan, the sources said.
In terms of irrigation, and amid expectations the dam will result in over 25 000 hectares being put under crops, Tugwi-Mukosi will see the region around Masvingo being turned into a greenbelt over and above supplying irrigation water to parts of the Lowveld.
And following commissioning of the Tugwi-Mukosi Dam last year, Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam has already started its economic contribution after providing 103 million cubic metres of water off its current holding 1,3 billion cubic metres to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) in 2017 for selling to irrigators and other bulk water users.
The Tugwi-Mukosi Development Master Plan has already been approved by Cabinet, in principle, but is scheduled to go through further evaluation before being granted final endorsement for its implementation. Highly placed sources said this process was well advanced.
Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, Ambassador Grace Mutandiro, would neither deny nor confirm saying the Office of the President and Cabinet was handling the project, but indicated development master plan was on course.
However, sources said final evaluation of the development master plan was nearing finality.
“The Master Plan is now well advanced. It has already been approved by Cabinet, but will go through another final phase of approval by Cabinet. There are a few things that need to be tweaked.
“I cannot provide finer details or go on record because the project is being spearheaded at the highest level (Office of the President and Cabinet),” said a senior official with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate who requested not to be named.
But while the Tugwi-Mukosi Development Master Plan awaits final approval by Cabinet, Business Weekly is reliably informed that various ministries, which have something to do for smooth implementation of the plan, are already on the ground doing work.
For instance, seeding of fish (including carpenter) has already been completed. In fact, development of certain approved key enablers to support the array of commercial activities to take place in terms of the master plan is already in progress by various parties.
The implementation of the Tugwi-Mukosi Development Master Plan will entail participation of several Government ministries including industry and commerce, agriculture and rural resettlement, education ministries, home affairs, transport and infrastructure development.
Other critical Government agencies such as Environmental Management Authority, which was mapping out ecologically sensitive areas, and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority have either started work or already completed their brief.
An executive with ZINWA, which manages the Tugwi-Mukosi Dam, said after the dam was commissioned last year; the development master plan was approved by Cabinet in terms of its broad formation and the 14 activities to be done on or around it.
“A broad structural map of the development master plan covering areas covered by the master plan was submitted to Cabinet. The Infrastructure Development Bank has completed the first phase of the feasibility study and is now in the second phase of the implementation of the irrigation master plan,” the source said.
