Gibson Mhaka
Zimpapers Politics Hub
SIGNIFICANT progress has been recorded at the 46th national Independence Day celebrations main venue at the Maphisa Open Grounds in Matobo District.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matabeleland South, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, expressed satisfaction with the developments, urging consistent Treasury backing so that deadlines are met.
Site engineers have set mid-March deadline for the projects to ensure the facilities will be ready for the national event on April 18.
Speaking in Maphisa on Friday following a site tour and briefings from various Government departments, Cde Nguluvhe noted that engineers had been working around the clock.
He emphasised the need for all stakeholders to continue expediting their efforts to ensure the project stays on schedule.
Minister Nguluvhe appealed to the Treasury for the timeous release of funds, noting that capital-intensive projects of this nature require consistent financial support.
“Firstly, I want to thank the team working here. Despite having limited resources, they have done a commendable job so far,” he said.
“I am happy to report that some materials have already arrived, and we have been assured of receiving eight additional graders from other provinces.
“I am confident that once this equipment arrives, we will see a vast change on the ground. However, we must continue to expedite our efforts to ensure we meet our deadlines.”
Minister Nguluvhe said that if disbursements were made in a timely manner, all remaining works will flow smoothly allowing the province to host a flawless national event.
“I remain confident that if funds are released and disbursed in a timely manner, all works will flow smoothly, as these projects are capital-intensive,” he said.
“There are specific areas where I intend to engage the relevant authorities to ensure everything is in place.”
The availability of water has also been guaranteed.
“In terms of water provision, I am pleased to note that over 40 boreholes have already been drilled. I also want to extend my gratitude to the Bulawayo City Council, which has supported our workers on-site with five beasts for meat,” he said.
“That said, I call upon all businesspeople across the province to come together and offer various forms of assistance. This event is not for the Government alone; let us all take ownership of our Independence celebrations.”
Minister Nguluvhe said he was following up on network connectivity, having already written to the responsible Ministry to ensure improvements were made.
Zanu PF Matabeleland South provincial chairman, Cde Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, who also serves as Minister of Industry and Commerce, said the ruling party was keeping a close eye on the project to ensure President Mnangagwa’s vision for the province was realised.
“As the ruling party, we saw it fit to interact with the Government departments and agencies working here to gain first-hand information regarding our progress and any potential challenges,” he said.
“We are all geared toward delivering a remarkable Independence Day celebration.”
He expressed the Party and Province’s gratitude to President Mnangagwa for granting Matobo District an opportunity to deliver a celebration that the nation will look back on with pride.
“We are pleased that the first tranche of funds was released at the end of last year,” he said. “Upon our visit today, we noted that materials have started arriving, and we hope to make significant progress by the end of the term, barring extreme weather conditions.”
Cde Ndlovu also highlighted the importance of local community involvement.
“While there are some resource-related challenges, I am confident the Government will provide the necessary assistance to ensure projects meet their deadlines,” he said.
“More importantly, we wanted to gauge the public mood and ensure the community is involved through local employment.
“We are pleased that locals are being hired, though we believe there is scope to do even more. Work will intensify in January and February, and we expect even greater community participation.”
Member of Parliament for Matobo Constituency, Cde Edgar Moyo, urged contractors to ‘double their efforts’ to ensure the project meets its deadline.
“We are encouraged by the progress made so far, but we must double our efforts to meet the deadlines. I urge our officers and contractors to intensify their work so that everything is in place by mid-March,” said Cde Moyo.
He noted that Matobo was the spiritual hub of the nation through the Njelele Shrine and held deep historical significance dating back to the 1893 and 1896 uprisings.
“I am personally excited that Matobo is hosting the 2026 Independence Day edition,” said Cde Moyo. “The people of Matobo are overjoyed for many reasons. This choice is a recognition of Matobo’s immense contribution to the liberation struggle.
“Our icon, the late Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo, hailed from this region, along with many other forerunners of our independence.”
Providing a technical breakdown, site engineer Mr Sean Mukwamba confirmed the stadium was taking shape rapidly.
“To date, we have completed the bulk excavation for the stadium and pitch area, with 90 percent of the excavation works finished,” he said. “As you can see, the site will feature terraces surrounding a central football pitch and an athletics track.
“We are on track to finish the stadium by mid-March, followed by the auxiliary works outside the main arena.”
He said the next stage involves digging trenches at five-metre intervals to install a subsurface drainage system.
“This system will efficiently drain water from the pitch to ensure that even heavy rains do not disrupt the event,” he said.
“Once the pitch is finalised, we will move to the spectator terraces. This will include public seating areas and specialised terraces for the VIP and VVIP sections.
“Additionally, we are constructing three admission blocks for the public, one for the VIPs, and a changing room facility for the stadium.”
Beyond the stadium, the Government is rehabilitating a 2 600km road network throughout the province.
Significant developments are also underway at Mahetshe Primary School, the venue for the Children’s Party. These include the construction of eight classroom blocks, eight modern teachers’ cottages and two ECD classroom blocks.
Mahetshe Secondary School is the venue for the Independence Day Music Gala.
It will see the construction of a 700-seater hall, four classroom blocks, an Advanced Level block, two science laboratories and an administration block.
The rotation of the celebrations across provinces marks a strategic shift from the long-standing tradition of holding the main event in Harare. Previous hosts of the Independence Day celebrations include Bulawayo (2022), Mashonaland Central (2023), Manicaland (2024) and the Midlands (2025).
The move aligns with the Government’s philosophy of “leaving no one and no place behind,” ensuring national celebrations translate into tangible benefits for host communities.
Meanwhile, Matobo Rural District Council (RDC) has moved to bolster its road maintenance capacity ahead of the celebrations with the procurement of a 19-tonne tipper truck valued at over ZWG2,2 million.
The equipment, which was purchased through an allocation from the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara), was officially commissioned on Friday last week by Minister Nguluvhe.
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