Zimbabwe: Beitbridge Sets Firm Foundation for Growth

From the beginning of the year, Beitbridge District was clear that it wanted to play a key role in helping the country attain its targets.

From undertaking massive infrastructure development to arresting some of the country’s most wanted robbers that have been eluding police for over two decades, Beitbridge indicated it meant business this year.

Its infrastructure development projects are designed to thrust the district on the road to real transformation that leaves no one and no place behind. This is part of the Government’s full implementation of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), a key enabler of the envisaged Vision 2030.

In terms of agriculture, the Government through partnerships with several players, got some communal irrigation schemes working again through the introduction of smart agriculture methods.

Border upgrade

Lack of progress on trade facilitation and improving the ease of doing business, has been one of the major challenges at Beitbridge Border Post.

This is the only land port with South Africa, which is a major player in regional and international trade in SADC, but had become a nightmare for importers, exporters and travellers.

However, 2021 became the turning point following the completion of the new freight terminal, under the first phase of the US$300 million border modernisation.

The terminal, which is handling 900 to 1 000 trucks daily, opened to commercial traffic in October. Civil works for Phase 2 and 3, the buses and light motor vehicles terminals are underway and are expected to be completed in May and November 2023.

Challenges relating to vehicles’ parking space, office space, human resources, and ICT facilities have been addressed as part of the Phase 1. This is the year, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and other Government agencies were able to automate services and systems. Resultantly, the pre-clearance system has helped improve the turnaround time for cargo clearing processes, thereby aiding border decongestion. The separation of traffic into freight, buses and light vehicles, has helped address perennial logistical challenges at the border.

Roads and social amenities

The state of roads and inadequacy in social amenities and related infrastructure, has been partially addressed with the upgrading of a 2km road stretch between the border post and Masvingo turn-off.

The project had been on the cards for more than eight years. Government has addressed housing issues through the completion of 28 F14 houses for its workers.

The houses have already been occupied.

In addition, civil works for another 220 houses for border workers are underway and will be completed by November next year.

A road linking the town with the new staff village has been completed, while a new reservoir tank, a sewer oxidation dam, an animal quarantine centre, a fire station, and a new dumpsite for the town, are at various stages of construction.

The District Development Fund (DDF), Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, and the two local authorities were able to fix some of the worst roads through funds under the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Program (ERRP).

Devolution and municipal projects

The two cash-strapped Beitbridge local authorities have for several years struggled to provide people-centred services until the Government intervened through devolution funds.

Beitbridge district has so far received $22,4 million in devolution funds which were used to procure service delivery equipment and fund infrastructure development projects in the area. The Beitbridge Municipality used part of the devolution funds to procure a refuse compactor truck for $2,9 million, backhoe loader (TLB) for $1,1 million, and a water and sanitation vehicle for $2,2 million.

In addition, a sewer jetting machine was purchased for $19 million and a water and sanitation vehicle. They also used $700 000 to upgrade ICT facilities. The Beitbridge Rural District Council built Tshabili, Mazunga and Dumba clinics.

They also repair damages at Shashe Clinic and constructed Nhovhe Primary School in Beitbridge West, repaired roofs at Chabeta Primary and Tshituripasi Secondary School.

The schools had been extensively damaged by tropical storms recently.

Dealing with smuggling

The introduction of the National Security Task Force (NTF) at Beitbridge in January this year has resulted in the arrest of over 81 000 people for violating customs and immigration laws.

The NTF uses drones, canine units, mounted units, helicopters and increased motorised patrols to minimise the amount of controlled or banned goods that are being smuggled into either South Africa or Zimbabwe.

Some of the goods being smuggled between Zimbabwe and South Africa are groceries, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, chicken cuts, used tyres, various meats, fruits, explosives, cigarettes, stolen livestock, and building material.

Fighting crime

Beitbridge police must be proud of their swift arrest of probably Zimbabwe’s most notorious alleged armed robber Musa Taj Abdul alias Salim Rahman (46).

Taj Abdul and his gang had eluded police for about 16 years, but their luck ran out after a dramatic arrest in August.

He was in the company of his alleged accomplices who included a former Masvingo Central police officer Rudolf Kanhanga alias Tapiwa Munatsi (29) and a Beitbridge-based police detail, Tapiwa Mangoma alias Taps (27).

A lone gunman known as Kedha, who used to operate along the Limpopo River, was gunned down following a 14-hour shoot-out with a police crack team while holed up at a house in Dulivhadzimu suburb.

Bigboy Chauke, another notorious armed robber, was nabbed three months after unleashing a reign of terror along the Beitbridge to Masvingo Road and the Limpopo River.

Agriculture development

Through a three-year Zimbabwe Resilience Programme, the Government in partnership with a consortium funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), helped to revamp major irrigation projects in the Beitbridge district this year.

These include River Ranch, Ndambe Phase 1 and 2, Jalukange, Bili, Dombolidenje, Shashe, Kwalu and Tongwe irrigation schemes.

The projects were fenced, equipped with smart agriculture technology including the installation of solar-powered irrigation pumps and pivots. Additionally, the Government in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), completed the rehabilitation of the 65 hectares Tshikwalakwala irrigation scheme that has been grounded for the past 15 years. Crops have been planted at most of these projects.

Education

Two more schools, Nhovhe Primary and Malala Secondary, were opened to learners while civil works on two more secondary schools at Langeni and Tshabili Secondary have begun. In addition, seven school heads from Beitbridge District were promoted to be schools’ inspectors across Matabeleland South Province.

Health

The District Covid-19 team worked well with central Government to contain the spread of the pandemic within the district, at the border and the transit, quarantine, and isolation centre despite limited resources.

Total infections are less than 6 000 while deaths are fewer than 100.

Nearly 22 000 Zimbabweans returning from Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa passed through the Beitbridge transit centre in March 2020 and November this year.

Sports

The community revived Dulivhadzimu United FC, which is now playing in Division One under the Central Soccer League.

Beitbridge Municipality transformed its mayor’s anti-litter marathon into a national event that also saw the introduction of a cycling race.

The Nyaradzo Group also introduced a 12km walkathon from the border town to Chamnanga Primary School.

By The Herald.