Mutoko eyes town status by 2025
MUTOKO CENTRE is targeting to become a fully fledged town next year, with various infrastructural projects and development-oriented initiatives underway to modernise the former “growth point”.
Eye-catching residential and commercial properties are currently taking shape as part of the ongoing construction boom.
Mutoko Rural District Council (RDC) was awarded town board status in 2022.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Mutoko RDC chief executive officer Mr Biriat Tasarira said: “For us to achieve full town council status, we need to implement a number of things, such as rehabilitating our roads, acquiring a refuse compactor, ambulance and a fire tender.
“All this will see a scenario where, by 2025, we can be accorded full town council status.”
The local authority has already begun recruiting staff, separating assets of the RDC and town board, as well as modifying by-laws.
“We have managed to come up with about 29 by-laws, which have gone through a review process.
“To that effect, again, 10 of them have already been accepted. We are also working on another 20, which are likely to be reviewed soon so that the number of by-laws that will get to be operational will be around 50 or 54, as per the schedule in the RDC Act,” he said.
In recent years, the area has witnessed fast-paced development.
“We have some polishing companies promoting the value addition of black granite. We also have plenty of lithium and gold in the district.
“Furthermore, as a centre, located along the major highway to Nyamapanda border, a number of people are eager to invest in this area, and the demand for services is growing.
“Another very important activity that boosts the area is horticulture, particularly tomato farming, which enhances our local economy.”
As the RDC is preparing the master plan for the whole district, it is keeping a keen eye on the transformation of Mutoko Centre into a modern town, Mr Tasarira said.
“Like any other local authority, we are advanced in terms of preparing the master plan. We will see a scenario where we will be having controlled development at the local centre.
“Also, after being accorded town board status, we now have a stand-alone committee. “We have appointed a town board administrator. We are going to separate the offices as a process of implementing this in phases.
“We are going to see a scenario whereby the town board offices are going to be located at the old council offices, so that they start to operate independently.”
A valuation roll is also being prepared to ascertain the value of properties at Mutoko Centre.
“It’s being advised that each and every urban town should have a valuation roll for the purpose of billing . . . So, the valuation roll means we are going to charge rates, as opposed to the land development levy.
“It is something that we started last year and we have already gazetted the valuation roll and we are hoping that, with the guidance from the Ministry of Local Government (and Public Works), we can have a supplementary budget that is going to guide us to charge the rates,” added Mr Tasarira.