Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Efforts have been suspended to rescue or recover the bodies of five miners trapped underground at Task Mining Syndicate in Chegutu 30 days ago when a mineshaft collapsed since more people may die in the dangerous ground although there is now no hope of finding survivors. Once Cabinet confirms the abandonment of the search mission, all access points into the shaft will be sealed off, making the

Source: Tugwi-Mukosi Tourism plan out | The Herald

Mr Munodawafa

George Maponga

Masvingo Bureau

THE Government has unveiled a tourism development plan for the giant Tugwi-Mukosi Dam in move expected to pave way for exploitation of tourism opportunities around the county’s largest inland water body.

The plan comes as work on the dam’s master plan has kicked off following the roping in of universities to help in its crafting, as President Mnangagwa’s administration pulls all the stops to make sure the idle reservoir is fully utilised.

The tourism development plan, among other things, entails designation of areas where lodges and hotels will be sited around the dam.

It also includes demarcation of the proposed game park in the Tugwi-Mukosi buffer zone.

The whole tourism package planned for Tugwi-Mukosi will make the dam one of the best tourist destinations in the country.

A delegation led by permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Mr Munesushe Munodawafa recently visited the dam where the tourism development plan was unveiled.

This development triggered resumption of work in various tourism-related spheres at Tugwi-Mukosi that will fit into the main master plan.

ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said the planned national park around the dam was one of the key projects under the tourism development plan.

“ZimParks has always had a presence at Tugwi-Mukosi, especially in the area of law enforcement with a focus towards poaching and the tourism development plan for Tugwi-Mukosi also encompasses the planned national park in the buffer zone,” he said.

“We have started work on the planned park and the unveiling of the tourism development plan has added impetus to what we are doing.”

The scenic topography in the dam’s immediate environment makes it ideal for building of lodges and hotels.

Investors are expected to troop to Tugwi-Mukosi once the main master plan is out.

“The tourism development plan also touches on areas like fisheries to see how it must be done and these things have no effect on the master plan, hence they can start being implemented now,” said Mr Farawo.

Several fishing co-operatives in the adjacent Chivi and Masvingo districts have been licensed to operate at Tugwi-Mukosi, joining other established traditional fish breeders that have set base there.

The Government resolved to immediately focus on development of anchor projects at Tugwi-Mukosi, while waiting for the main master plan that will also include the irrigation development plan. The anchor projects include recreational shipping and opening of a dry harbour, building navigation masts and development of a mini-hydro power plant.

Some of the anchor projects have kicked off while others are in the pipeline.

Unveiling of the tourism development plan will give impetus to the ongoing drive to fully utilise Zimbabwe’s biggest inland water body built at a cost of US$270 million and commissioned in May 2017.

Plans to establish a national park in the buffer zone of the dam will see additional families being relocated from their homes.

In 2014, flooding in the Tugwi-Mukosi basin after incessant rains, precipitated one of the largest mass evacuation of people in post independent Zimbabwe, which saw families and their livestock that were threatened by floods being relocated to Chingwizi in Mwenezi.

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Source: Committee to deal with Mazowe Dam siltation | The Herald

Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Senator Monica Mavhunga

Fungai Lupande

Mashonaland Central Bureau

Officials in Mashonaland Central Province have set up a technical committee to look into the heavy siltation of Mazowe Dam, a major source of water and the pride of the province, which is now being affected by activities of illegal gold miners who have invaded its basin.

Illegal settlers have also set up a village in the dam’s basin and they have already started land preparations for this year’s farming season.

Mining companies have set up camp and several mine shafts have been dug in the basin of the dam, a development that will increase the rate of siltation when the rains start.

The dam has a carrying capacity of 39 357 mega litres of water, but now it is down to 8 500 mega litres or 21 percent full.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Senator Monica Mavhunga announced the setting up of the committee during a visit to the dam recently.

She said there was need for a lasting solution to the siltation problem at the dam because farmers relied on it for irrigation.

Minister Mavhunga requested the Upper Mazowe sub-catchment council to submit a report on the activities contributing to siltation of the dam.

Upper Mazowe Sub-catchment council chairman Mr Fleming Dhlamini said riverbed mining had become a headache and proper mining procedures should be followed.

He said a mine should operate at least a minimum of 500 metres from the high flood level of the dam.

“We are also advocating for the construction of weir dams, which will ensure that farmers harvest a lot of water for irrigation purposes,” said Mr Dhlamini. “We have farmers who planted winter wheat, but are now failing to irrigate their crop, which is at its final stage of ripening, because Mazowe Dam can no longer support commercial use.

“We are anticipating good rains this year and there is a need to desilt the dam to increase its carrying capacity.

“Those granted special mining grants along the river must approach the Upper Mazowe sub-catchment council for guidelines on how to operate sustainably.”

ZINWA catchment manager Engineer Colleta Tundu said Mazowe Dam was managed by Mazowe Citrus and was gazetted after 2018.

The dam spilled in 2001 and 2018.

ZINWA has not yet conducted a silt survey for the dam and Eng Tundu was not sure whether or not a survey was done by Mazowe Citrus.

She said the de-siltation process was expensive and advised the province to come up with a plan on how to use soil from de-siltation either for brick making or rehabilitating pits.

Mr Stansclous Everisto Zenda, chairman of a fishing co-operative, who has been residing at the dam since 2010, said due to climate change and low rainfall patterns, there hasn’t been enough rains to fill the dam to its full capacity.

He said the dam was last full in 2015.

“The dam is shallow and it has an anthill in its basin,” said Mr Zenda.

“Last year we didn’t receive good rains and the dam did not fill up. Streams of its tributaries which are Kasura, Nyanhombo and Mazowe Rivers are still intact. I don’t think anything changed besides climate change.

“This has negatively affected our work. People from the community who are conducting illegal fishing activities have also infested the river.”

Mr Zenda said his co-operative had 10 members and they wished to do fish farming in ponds at the outskirts of the dam, a proposal which was turned down by Mazowe Rural District Council.

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Source: Beitbridge villagers bemoan state of roads | The Herald

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Thupeyo Muleya

Beitbridge Bureau

The poor state of the roads in Beitbridge has become a perennial headache for people living in the rural parts of the district who have to pay a lot of money in fares to the few motorists still servicing the routes.

It costs between R150 and R200 to travel between the border town and most points across the district, while those traveling from Beitbridge to either Harare or Bulawayo pay R250 in transport fares.

Beitbridge has an estimated population of 250 000, with two-thirds of the people living in remote areas.

Though the Government introduced Zupco buses this year, they have not been able to service rural areas because of poor roads. The worst affected roads are those leading to Tshikwalakwala (from Lutumba), Beitbridge to Tshabili, Makakhavhule to Shashe, Makakhavhule to Toporo, Jopembi to Nhwali, Makhado to Chamnangana, Lesanth to Tshaswingo, Matshiloni to Mapani, Lutumba to Tongwe, and Bubi to Kayansee.

In separate interviews, villagers said they were worried the state of the roads could worsen even further if nothing is done before the onset of the rains.

“Some of the rural roads need attention before the onset of the rains, for example, the Beitbridge to Tshikwalakwala and Beitbridge to Swereki roads are in a very bad state,” said Mr Enock Kwinika of Goda village.

Mr Kwinika said was important for the Rural District Council and the District Development Fund to urgently grade roads to ease the burden villagers were facing in terms of transport.

“As a community, our view is that the district development stakeholders should have organised stone pitching for some bridges in wards 7 (Masera), 8 (Shashe), and 9 (Swereki).”

Mr Kwinika said many bridges had succumbed to wear and tear and were likely to be washed away by the rains.

He said it was important for the Rural District Council and the District Development Fund to urgently grade roads to ease the burden villagers were facing in terms of transport.

Another villager, Mr Beji Muleya of Nuli, said some of the roads were left seriously damaged by heavy downpours early this year.

“Most of our roads have been left unusable for over four years,” he said. “The situation between Lutumba and Tshikwalakwala is disheartening, we have a broken bridge just after Lutumba.

“During the rainy season we have no alternative bridge and this affects motorists, villagers and school children. Last year a car was washed away in the same area.”

Mr Muleya said Government should reintroduce the food for assets programme so that it taps into the community for labour.

He said transporters were shunning most routes due to bad roads.

Mr Muleya said the Tshikwalakwala road should be rehabilitated to enable the introduction of Zupco buses and other public transport operators.

Headman Mazibeli (Toteng Sebata) of Beitbridge West said roads had become dangerous, with some being death traps.

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Source: Firm gets 5 000ha for crops | The Herald

George Maponga

Masvingo Bureau

The quest to achieve food security using existing water bodies continues to gain traction in the Lowveld where Government and Lowveld sugar producer Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe (THZ) have jointly increased the area under irrigated winter maize and traditional grains to nearly 5 000 hectares.

Under this initiative, Government is providing inputs under Command Agriculture, while Tongaat and Masvingo Development Trust (MDT) are providing technical expertise and land for the venture.

Winter maize production in the Lowveld continues to grow in leaps and bounds, with 3 000ha expected to be put under maize this year up from only 327ha last year.

This year, traditional grains production has also been expanded with 1 900ha earmarked for sorghum and sunflower seed at Kilimanjaro in Hippo Valley estates.

Last Friday, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Dr Anxious Masuka, accompanied by Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira, toured Kilimanjaro where the winter maize project is being developed.

He expressed satisfaction with progress in the food initiative, with planting of both maize and traditional grains ongoing.

Tongaat, at the behest of Government, decided to temporarily commit land cleared for sugar cane production at Kilimanjaro in Hippo Valley for winter maize to help cut the nation’s food import bill.

To date, 1 600ha is already under maize at Kilimanjaro, which is at various stages of growth, while planting of more maize is ongoing.

Another 1 900ha at Kilimanjaro is being put under traditional grains, while at Mwenezana estates in Mwenezi, more than 1 000ha is also being put under winter maize.

Dr Masuka paid tribute to Tongaat, MDT and Government for embarking on the winter maize and small grains production initiatives in the Lowveld.

“We are excited with progress that has been covered to date, with 1 600ha having put under maize in Chiredzi that is at different stages of growth,” he said.

“We also have winter maize at Mwenezana Estates and this is being jointly done by Tongaat, Masvingo Development Trust and Government.

“I am also happy to announce that a further 1 900ha is being put under traditional grains at Kilimanjaro and all this is being done to make sure that Masvingo in particular and the nation at large achieve food security.”

Planting of both maize and traditional grains is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

Minister Chadzamira said the winter maize initiative would positively impact on the national economy, as the country will save hard-earned foreign currency by trimming the food import bill.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga recently toured the Lowveld winter maize projects in Chiredzi and Mwenezi where he was able to convince Tongaat to further commit more irrigable land for maize production to ensure food security.

Last year, 1 186 tonnes of grain were produced under the winter maize initiative in the Lowveld, but this year up 40 000 tonnes are expected following an increase in hectarage.

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