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President Mnangagwa

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa will visit Matabeleland South Province on Saturday where he will tour projects in Gwanda and Beitbridge areas and address people from the province.

In an interview, Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Abednico Ncube said the President would visit Tulimanyange Dam site in Ntepe area, Gwanda South, and a proposed irrigation project near Zhove Dam in Beitbridge.

“We are excited to be hosting President Emmerson Mnangagwa who will be visiting our province. He will visit the proposed Tulimanyange dam site where he will address people from the entire province in Ntepe.

“He will then proceed to Beitbridge where he will go to Zhove Dam to see a proposed irrigation project. Preparations for his visit are in progress but everything is in order. We expect people to come in numbers from all our seven districts to meet the President,” he said.

Cde Ncube expressed hope that the visit by President Mnangagwa will see these projects kick off as they are now long overdue.

He said construction of the Tulimanyange Dam was approved in 1970 after a feasibility study but the project had not taken off.

Cde Ncube said the projects in both areas would go a long way in assisting the communities.

“The Tulimanyange Dam is supposed to have the Lower Tuli Dam and Upper Tuli Dam which is to be the main dam. Studies revealed that after the dam was completed there was going to be a pipeline that would convey water to several villages namely Ntalale, Mawaza, Gungwe and Makokwe, the latter which has soils that are suitable for irrigating sugar cane.

“A number of irrigation schemes are set to benefit from the project. Pipelines are also expected to be installed at Zhove Dam in Beitbridge to supply water to rural and urban communities. The dam is quite big and if resources permit a number of people can benefit from it,” he said.

@DubeMatutu