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Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]

THE reconstruction of the 120km Old Gwanda Road in Matabeleland South has prompted the relocation of 42 families, who will be compensated with modern, solar-powered homes. 

The project, valued at US$150 million, includes road furniture such as fuel service stations, toll gates, and a rural shopping mall.

The Government and Zwane Enterprise signed a Concession Agreement last week, marking the beginning of the project.

The redesigned road will add impetus to the tourism sector in the area. 

Matopo High School headmaster Mr Gardson Sibanda speaks on how the school will benefit on road construction, as it will reduce damages on their vehicles.

Under Chief Masuku in Matobo District, 15 homesteads, eight graves and one community borehole will be relocated to pave way for the project.

Under Chief Mathe (Umzingwane District) 15 homesteads, two graves and a kraal will be moved while under Chief Mathema (Gwanda District) 12 homesteads, 14 graves, a shop and a bar will be relocated to accommodate construction.

Zwane Enterprise chief executive officer, Engineer Bekithemba Mbambo, released designs for the new homes, featuring four to eight rooms, solar energy, and a solar-powered borehole with a 5 000-litre water tank.

Each  relocated family will have a farm garage, storeroom, a fowl run with solar lights, a grass-thatched hut for kitchen utensils, and a grass-thatched gazebo for cooking and relaxing, a blair toilet, bathroom, and septic tank.

Cattle kraals will be updated, and homes will have security fences, gates, and street tower lights. 

Villagers preparing the land where one of the villagers homestead will be relocated to for the Old Gwanda Road Construction .

The relocated families will receive orchards and additional three-acre crop fields if they lose part of their farms. Saturday will see the ground-breaking ceremony, marking the start of the construction of the 42 homesteads for the affected families.

“Besides building them better homes, we don’t want to promise too much,” said Eng Mbambo. 

“We will team up with an institution of higher learning along the corridor to assist in training and giving certificates to local builders who will be engaged in the construction of homes. 

“Most homesteads should be complete by the end of June.”

Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, will preside  over the ground-breaking ceremony.

Community leaders expressed excitement over the project’s transformative impact. 

Ntunjambili village head Mr Nkosana Moyo welcomed the redesign, stating how farmers needed to have reliable road access. 

The existing road is in an untraffickable state due to lack of grading, hindering local business.

Mr Moyo praised Zwane Enterprise’s transparency and communication with the community.

“The community has been informed of the new models that will be constructed, and we are satisfied with how the project will be implemented,” said Mr Moyo.

“In 2022 they came to tell us about the project but they disappeared for some time. But last year they came again to tell us that the project was on track and earlier this year they called for a meeting where they informed us that some of the homesteads in the community will be moved to pave way for the construction. 

“While the gravel road passes through Matopo High School, the new road will pass behind the school. That’s how some homesteads will be affected,” he said.

Village development committee member, Mr Micah Moyo, stressed the need for a reliable road network to access markets and facilitate business growth.

Mrs Tendai Moyo one of the villagers whose homestead will be relocated for the construction of the Old Gwanda Road

“With a better road network, we expect more development as more people use the road, which is good for business,” said Mr Moyo.

Matopo High School head Mr Gardson Sibanda welcomed the road construction project, citing the challenges posed by the current gravel road.

“We are very excited that the Government is putting a tarred road passing through our school. The road we are using is very bad. When it rains, it is usually severely damaged, and it’s a mammoth task to drive on. We are incurring serious expenses repairing our vehicles,” he said.

“With the new road, it will be quicker to have access to the resources that we need for our boarding here. We have now diverted the route as we believe that it is a better one.”

Instead of connecting the school through Old Gwanda Road, Mr Sibanda said they now use Matopos Road, turning at the Matopos National Park road and reconnecting on Old Gwanda Road at Fort Usher turn, which increases the distance travelled to the school.

He said the school is sometimes forced to buy fuel for the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), formerly the District Development Fund, to grade the road leading to the school.

“We are using our own resources meant for buying textbooks and boarding food, and sending it to another department. This shows that we really need the road. Because it is very difficult to get to Bulawayo using this road,” he said.

The new road is also expected to significantly enhance the cellphone network coverage. – @nqotshili