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Desmond Nleya, Chronicle Reporter

LUPANE town in Matabeleland North is set to expand by a 11km radius with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development already working on water, sewer, reticulation and treatment plants.

Speaking in a telephone interview yesterday, Matabeleland North Provincial Minister Cde Richard Moyo said the town would ensure that there was enough water to cater for the expansion.

“Lupane is quite a big town and now the main work being done is on water, sewer, reticulation and treatment plants,” he said.

Cde Moyo said he expects investors to flock to the town once all government offices start operating from Lupane.

“Construction of the town is almost complete and obviously when we are all here, investors will also start coming which is good for development,” he said. 

Meanwhile, an official from the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development told a provincial board meeting in Lupane last week that construction of government offices was almost complete.

 “Lupane Government Complex (now Welshman Mabhena Building) is almost complete at 96 percent, civil servants’ houses at 93 percent, provincial hospital at 20 percent and the magistrate’s court is only three percent complete,” said the official.

Decentralisation of services to provincial, district or even ward level is an ongoing process under the Government’s devolution drive meant to bring services closer to the people. 

Lupane Town was granted Matabeleland North provincial capital status in 1999 but development has been sluggish mainly because of inadequate funding for infrastructural development. 

The coming in of fulltime services to Lupane is also expected to result in quicker growth of the settlement into a fully-fledged modern town. 

Lupane State University has already relocated some of its departments, giving impetus to the growth of the provincial capital. -@DesmondNdazi.