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Source: 188 beneficiaries to lose housing stands in Bulawayo – herald

Raymond Jaravaza ray.jaravaza@chronicle.co.zw

THE City of Bulawayo has announced the move to repossess 188 housing stands in Luveve 4, Pumula South, Luveve 5 and Mahatshula suburbs whose beneficiaries have failed to develop them.

The stands will be re-allocated to deserving individuals on the city’s housing waiting list.

According to council, two stands are in Luveve 4 suburb, 23 in Luveve 5 and 112 beneficiaries in Mahatshula, with 51 identified in Pumula South.

In a public notice yesterday, Bulawayo City Council Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dub, said beneficiaries have until 25 August to prove why the stands should not be repossessed.

“The City of Bulawayo would like to notify all beneficiaries who have failed to develop and are in breach of the conditions of sale that council intends to repossess the stands and re-allocate them to deserving beneficiaries on the housing waiting list as per council housing policy,” said Mr Dube.

“To remedy the situation, affected beneficiaries are required within 30 days (25 August 2026) of this notice to visit the Housing and Community Services Department to show cause why Council should not proceed with the planned repossessions.

“Failure to respond within the stated period will result in council proceeding with the cancellation of the allocation and repossession of the stands without further notice.”

Beneficiaries with stands in Luveve 4 and 5, as well as in Pumula South, should visit council district housing offices in Luveve and Pumula suburbs respectively, while those in Mahatshula will have their queries attended to at the Tower Block offices.

The city’s housing waiting list has ballooned to about 140 000 applicants as demand for residential stands continues to outstrip supply, with city authorities under mounting pressure to accelerate land servicing amid an influx of returning Zimbabweans and rapid urbanisation.

The latest council Housing and Community Services Committee report indicates that the city’s housing backlog continues to widen despite ongoing efforts to service land and regularise settlements.

According to the report, councillors have expressed concern over the ever-growing waiting list, with some calling for greater transparency and fairness in the allocation of residential stands.

They stressed that residents who have remained on the waiting list for years should be prioritised ahead of new applicants, while urging council to expedite the servicing of land to meet rising demand.

Bulawayo mayor, Councillor David Coltart, is on record acknowledging the city’s housing deficit, saying council was working to unlock more land for residential development through partnerships with Government and private developers.

Housing experts say home ownership remains one of the biggest aspirations for many Zimbabweans, particularly those returning from the diaspora, who often invest their savings in residential properties upon returning home or while planning for retirement.

Councillors have said that while the city welcomes investment from returning Zimbabweans, it should ensure that residents who have patiently remained on the housing waiting list for many years are not disadvantaged.

Urban planning experts say the growing housing demand reflects renewed confidence in Bulawayo’s long-term prospects but warned that failure to service adequate land could fuel the proliferation of illegal settlements and unplanned developments.

Mr Winos Dube, chairman of the Bulawayo United Residents Association, encouraged the beneficiaries to visit the city district housing office for possible negotiations with council to avoid the repossession of the stands.

“Some of the beneficiaries could be late and their families are willing to proceed with developing the stands, so such scenarios can be ironed out if they negotiate with council to find a way forward,” he said.

“The economic situation is also not making it easy for some of the beneficiaries to develop their stands and it would be such a heavy loss if the stands are repossessed. I believe in such cases dialogue always goes a long way when council and the beneficiaries meet halfway and come to a mutually beneficial agreement,” said Mr Dube.

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Source: Delegates troop into Bulawayo for Mine Entra 2026 Expo – herald

Judith Phiri judith.phiri@sundaynews.co.zw

EXHIBITORS have started trooping into Bulawayo ahead of Zimbabwe’s premier mining, engineering and transport exhibition, Mine Entra 2026, which kicks off in the city on Wednesday.

Hosted by the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company in partnership with the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the expo will run up to Friday at the Zimbabwe International Conference and Exhibition Smart City (ZICES) under the theme: “Unearth, Transform, Prosper: Anchoring Economic Transformation through Mining Value Chains”.

ZITF Company marketing and corporate communications manager, Mr Thandolwenkosi Nkomo, yesterday said all was set for the specialised expo with some exhibitors already on the ground setting up their stands.

“Some exhibitors have been on the ground since last week and we expect all exhibitions to have been completed preparations by close of business on Tuesday in time for the start of the exhibition,” he told Zimpapers.

“We’ve also been working closely with the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe in preparation for the symposiums and conferences taking place during Mine Entra. Registration for the conferences is still open.”

Key stakeholders have expressed readiness for the event with Young Miners Foundation (YMF) chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Payne Kupfuwa, saying youth miners will be fully participating, networking and attending conferences.

“YMF members will be looking for partnerships that go beyond extracting minerals. We seek technology, training, efficient equipment and capital that will help us build 21st century young mineral magnates.

“Our future is not only underground, it’s in innovation and in value addition and beneficiation of our minerals. This value will stay in our communities long after the mines close,” he said.

“Mine Entra 2026 must be more than an exhibition, it must be a launch-pad for the next generation of miners,” he said.

The expo comes at a time when Zimbabwe is formalising and professionalizing small scale mining operations who seek to secure meaningful investment and soft lending opportunities from financial institutions.

Mr Kupfuwa said their members look forward to sharing and exchanging notes on safe mining methods, as well as health and environmental sensitivity as they conform to environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework.

“Young miners will be navigating for strategies and ideas to mine safer, smarter and sustainably. We seek value beyond the ore and getting insights on latest policy changes and contributing to the policies as we interact with policy makers and key players in the mining industry,” he said.

Zimbabwe Artisanal and Small-Scale Women Miners Association chairperson, Mrs Kundai Chikonzo Midzi said they will have a site visit to one of the women miners on the sidelines of Mine Entra.

“We also have our conference for Women in Mining Thursday (30 July). This is one of the events we will be doing as we continue to champion a bold women miners’ empowerment vision,” she said.

Ms Midzi said women miners play a critical role in the mining sector, making up an estimated 10 percent to 15 percent of Zimbabwe’s national mining workforce, while they represent about 50 percent of artisanal and small-scale miners.

Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Matabeleland Chapter past vice-president and businessman, Mr Louis Herbst said Mine Entra 2026 presents far more than just another exhibition.

“It’s an opportunity for Bulawayo and Zimbabwean businesses to rethink how we approach growth and competitiveness. For our local mining sector, this should be viewed as a strategic opportunity to evaluate how operations can be upscalled to gain first-hand exposure to the latest technological advancements,” he said.

“Engineering innovations and productivity-enhancing solutions are equally important and we should be able to identify practical methods of improving efficiency and output. The companies that will lead tomorrow are those willing to embrace innovation today.”

Mr Herbst said ‘standing still’ in today’s competitive environment is in reality, moving backwards, while sustainable growth requires investment, continuous improvement and the willingness to challenge traditional ways of doing business.

“Every investment carries an element of risk, but every successful business has been built by leaders who had the confidence and courage to invest in their vision.

“The greater risk is allowing opportunities to pass by while others innovate and expand. Mine Entra showcases the technologies, partnerships and ideas capable of transforming operations,” he said.

Mr Herbst called on every participating business to go with an open mind, engage with exhibitors, explore new technologies, build strategic relationships and most importantly, return with practical solutions that can be implemented to increase productivity and profitability.

Key highlights in the expo diary include a Suppliers, Energy and Infrastructure Symposium on Tuesday, the Mine Entra Buyers Programme, which runs from Wednesday to Friday, and a

Beneficiation and Value Addition Symposium on Wednesday together with the Exploration Seminar on the same day.

The day will be capped off with an Exhibitors’ Welcome Cocktail, which officially opens the Mine Entra networking programme. On Thursday there will be a Mine Entra Conference bringing together industry leaders, investors, financiers and mining professionals to discuss key trends, emerging opportunities and innovative solutions shaping the future of mining.

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Source: A tractor for every village 35 000 tractors to power rural agric transformation – herald

Zvamaida Murwira zvamaida.murwira@zimpapers.co.zw

GOVERNMENT is stepping up efforts to distribute a consignment of 35 000 tractors — one for each village in the country to modernise agriculture, boost productivity and strengthen national food security ahead of the summer cropping season.

Under this ambitious rural mechanisation drive, every village will be equipped with at least one small tractor in line with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).

Government is keen to support Village Business Units (VBUs) across the country’s 35 000 villages, transforming traditional subsistence farming into productive, market-oriented rural enterprises.

“The President (Mnangagwa) in the next two months will be launching a mechanisation programme for 35 000 villages, so that each village in our view, must have a tractor suitable for their circumstances.

“I expect that innovative businesses will see a business opportunity in establishing an assembling plant for tractors but also to go further to begin to manufacture them. So that is a business opportunity. As Government we have visited two countries where we feel we can start localisation of the assembly of these tractors,” said Agriculture, Mechanisation Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka.

He said this at the recent Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo (ZICE 2026), which was officially opened by President Mnangagwa. Dr Masuka said the tractor scheme seeks to help villagers replace the traditional hoe and plough with tractors as the country moves to transform its agricultural sector.

This is expected to yield massive downstream benefits as the Government will move to localise the assembling of tractors and other mechanisation equipment.

The minister said over the past years, agriculture had been anchored on a hoe and the plough and it was high time to move to the next level of mechanisation.

“We have to move with times and look at agricultural mechanisation in our villages,” said Minister Masuka.
He said mechanisation formed part of key enablers of agriculture.

“The tractor fleet was 7 500 in 2017 and we are currently sitting at 17 800 tractors. I expect another 5 000 tractors to be coming soon because we have 11 dealers that we are working with,” he said.

Additionally, the Government is mobilising tractors for the commercial farming sector. Turning to youth, Minister Masuka said Government valued young people and wanted them to participate in agriculture value chains.

“The policy now is that 20 percent of land that becomes available must go to the youths,” said Minister Masuka.
He said Zimbabwe is an agro-based economy, and it is that sector that must power its citizens out of poverty as the country move towards Vision 2030 as envisaged by the National Development Strategy 2.

“We have the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2, 2026-2030, which has adopted a value chain approach, and we are looking at 35 value chains: crop, livestock, fisheries.

“But let me then contextualise and say, of the 11 percent GDP contribution by agriculture, you will see the 17 percent contribution in industry is largely driven by agro-led value chains: food, beverages and so forth. So you can see how we are supporting industry,” said Minister Masuka.

Speaking at the same occasion, Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube said there will be no “dramatic policy changes” that he will introduce when he presents the Mid Term Policy Review in Parliament this week.

“We have stability in the economy right now, we have the lowest inflation rate in both local and foreign currency. We have fiscal and monetary discipline, good coordination and it is showing in the rest of the economy and the economy is going strong,” said Prof Ncube.

“So maybe when you look at all this, one does not want to rock the boat and start introducing dramatic policies in July, in the middle of the year. Let, the ship sail and what we should do is to embed and support the stability.

“I do not expect dramatic changes or policies, we want to keep things as they are, the ship is sailing steadily do not disturb it.”

The conference was officially opened by President Mnangagwa and drew Cabinet Ministers, captains of industry, diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe among others.

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Source: Know Your Real Enemy

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Source: GMB Pegs Maize, Traditional Grains Prices At US$364.75 Per Tonne ⋆ Pindula News

The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) says it remains the best-priced buyer on the market and is paying farmers on time, as it announced its producer prices for the current marketing season.

In a recent statement, GMB chief executive officer Edson Badarai said the board will be buying both maize and traditional grains at US$364.75 per metric tonne.

GMB stressed that its prices are above the market rate to reinforce confidence and guarantee farmers are able to mobilise input resources for the next cropping season.

Farmers have been urged to make use of GMB’s 89 depots and 1,804 ward-based buying points, as well as transport logistics being offered to deliver grain. The board said it is making timely payments.

At the 89 depots and 1,804 buying points, farmers can also swap grain and access inputs on site.

GMB said it remains the buyer of last resort for all farmers, including those who are self-financed, adding that anyone who fails to secure a market can deliver to GMB.

“As the nation’s trusted grain custodian, GMB remains dedicated to partnering with farmers to achieve grain self-sufficiency and food security for Zimbabwe,” the board said.

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