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Vincent Gono, Features Editor
FOR more than a decade, a solution to quench Matabeleland region’s thirst has been in the pipeline, seemingly so near and yet so far as the long-touted Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP) was fast turning into a giant old tale of promises and lies.

The region is generally dry and most suitable for cattle ranching. But the need for food self-sufficiency whose basis is crop agriculture heightens the need for an answer that speaks to the communities’ water demands.

On paper however, the end to the problems of water in Matabeleland was mooted in 1912 when plans were put in place to draw water from the Zambezi River Basin to Bulawayo through a 450km pipeline.

The project when conceptualised was expected to spur socio-economic growth by creating a greenbelt of agricultural production into the region.

It however, remained on paper and its implementation was proving too painful, difficult until the recent nationalisation of the project and two reasons stick out at least according to the current chairman of the now National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Trust Cde Richard Maduke Ndlovu.

The first reason for the delay of the project was lack of resources. Cde Ndlovu said the magnificent nature of the project demanded a lot of financial resources to be committed which were not readily available leading to a phased approach to the whole project.

He said before independence the project was just on paper but real post-independence plans to actualise the project began in 1987 soon after the signing of the Unity Accord.

Cde Ndlovu said it was the late Dr Joshua Nkomo who called the Zapu membership and said, “We have now united. Let’s rethink what we want because we are in government.”

He said so dear to Dr Nkomo was the issue of water which was a problem in the region.

“From that meeting we came up with the Matabeleland Action Group (MAG) that was chaired by the late Cde Sidney Malunga who I happened to deputise. There were sub-sectors that fell under the Matabeleland Action Group and the water sub-sector was one of them which was chaired by the late Cde Dumiso Dabengwa. At the meeting we also invited the late Christopher Ushewokunze who was the Minister of Water to advise on the issues of water since it was one of the major issues.

“He suggested that water for Bulawayo could be drawn from Mtshabezi Dam but we all disagreed with him for the simple reason that it was too small. We told him that it was good for Mtshabezi water to be channeled to Gwanda.

“Dr Nkomo then brought the idea that the Government was supposed to rekindle the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project whose plan was mooted by the colonial regime and feasibility studies were presented and approved by the Government,” said Cde Ndlovu.

The project was however dogged by financial constraints since its inception and had so many false starts as the country had no fiscal capacity to fund such a capital-intensive project. The funding that the project was receiving under the Government Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) was generally intermittent and way below the expected support needed to get it moving.

“It was then that a phased approach to the whole project was actioned where phase one was agreed to be the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam which we are happy to announce that it is progressing so well and in quick motion after the New Dispensation led by President Mnangagwa decided to put its hands on the deck,” said Cde Ndlovu.

The second major reason that stalled the implementation of project was politics.

“The Matabeleland Action Group was supposed to oversee all — other projects that were under different sub-sectors but it was only sooner than later that the water sub-sector led by Cde Dabengwa had somehow assumed autonomy. It was so because of the power that the sub-sector has as something that was so dear and so close to the whole region than any other project within the parameters and purview of MAG,” said Cde Ndlovu.

He added that since MAG was focused on fostering development, no-one noticed that beneath the veneer of the unity of purpose, comradeship and will to bring water to Bulawayo and the region, some were seeing perfect opportunities to launch political careers riding on the tide of a regional problem.

“The death of some of the members of MAG and that of Dr Nkomo threw everything into disarray. The ministers that we had in Government from the region were no longer as pushy and hands-on as was Dr Nkomo. Most of the projects that fell under MAG and those that were initiated by Dr Nkomo started being dormant except the MZWP that Cde Dabengwa continued chairing although nothing much was happening especially after he had divorced himself from the Unity Accord and Government and had launched his own party.”

Cde Ndlovu said it was unfortunate that there were people who joined him and thought the project was going to give them something to campaign on but time proved that its magnitude was too burdensome for a few individuals to shoulder and therefore needed the intervention of the central Government.

“The project had been hijacked for selfish political pursuits. It became more of a political rhetoric and a campaign trump card than there was political action. It was used for political expediency and unfortunately there are still people who want to wrap themselves around the project and who are against its completion.

“It’s unfortunate however that despite some political misgivings we have since engaged chiefs and we are working well with them and the Government. They (chiefs) know exactly what is going to be done and its benefits. There will be relocations yes, and the Government has already made plans way ahead of time so that people won’t be affected much,” said Cde Ndlovu.

He added that although progress was affected by the global outbreak of Covid-19, the first phase of the project the Gwayi-Shangani Dam was now going on well adding that he was gratified by the support that the giant project’s first phase was getting from the Government under the captainship of President Mnangagwa.

Cde Ndlovu said the project was now a gear up and was expected to be completed next year bringing water not only to Bulawayo but to Plumtree and other needy areas in the region with plans that in the fullness of time water could even be exported to South Africa.

A greenbelt is also going to be an essential part of the project where irrigation schemes will be developed downstream.

He said the three phases of the project include construction of Gwayi-Shangani Dam under phase 1 while phase 2 involves construction of a pipeline from Gwayi-Shangani Dam to Bulawayo. The last phase involves the construction of a pipeline from Zambezi River to link with the Gwayi-Shangani pipeline at Kennedy.

Cde Ndlovu believes the nationalization of the MZWP was the masterstroke which was lacking over the years saying had it been done by the previous administration and pushed with the vigor that President Mnangagwa was applying, some of the phases could have been completed.

He said it was soothing to note that the country was carefully treading in the letter and spirit of its economic blueprint the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) through spirited efforts to complete dams for irrigation to enhance food security.

According to NDS1 the country is targeting expanded irrigation development and water harvesting for enhancing agriculture production and productivity, targeting over 350 000 ha and the Gwayi-Shangani Dam has been earmarked for expanding irrigation development.