Devolution funds spur construction projects

FIVE rural health service centres in Masvingo district are at various construction stages following the release of nearly $1 million from Government under the devolution programme.

Masvingo district received a $901 000, with the majority of the funding going towards improving health delivery which was the populous district’s Achilles heel.

Masvingo Rural District Council chief executive Mr Martin Mubviro yesterday said they expect to have covered considerable progress by the end of this year.

“We are expanding Mashenjere Clinic in Murinye where a new block is due for completion by September while at Nyamande Clinic in Nyikavanhu we are in the process of installing a solar power system and drilling a borehole that will also supply running water to the nearby school,” he said.

“Completely new Clinic projects are underway at Musingarabwi, Zhehuru in Mushandike resettlement area and Mavizhu at Rupike in Nyajena and we expect physical structures to be in place by December this year.”

Mr Mubviro said part of the devolution funds had been channelled to build a new primary school at Nemamwa Growth Point which is Masvingo district’s commercial capital.

Nemamwa is arguably one of the fastest expanding urban settlements in Masvingo province a situation attributed to its proximity to the provincial capital.

The Masvingo RDC chair hailed President Mnangagwa’s administration for conceiving and operationalizing devolution saying it would engender development in rural areas.

“We just hope Government continues with the devolution programme and continue to avail more resources because it will go a long way in bringing development in rural areas. There are many hanging projects that could not be implemented because of lack of funding and now, with devolution, we are in the right direction,” he said.

Projects totalling $5,6 million are currently under implementation in Masvingo in areas such as health, education and water and sanitation among others after Government released the first tranche of funding under devolution.

The province is set to get $31 million under the $310 million outlay allocated by Government under devolution in the 2019 financial budget.