Erratic power may hamper investment into Kanyemba
EGolden Sibanda power supply into the Mbire District, Mashonaland Central Province, may kill growing interest in Kanyemba, which has become highly attractive as a prime investment destination.
The outlying area, on the border with neighbours Zambia and Mozambique, is being touted as Zimbabwe’s next biggest investment destination given its extensive investment opportunities.
Boasting pristine wildlife for tourism, abundance of water, strategic location as a shortcut route linking the north and the south corridors, Kanyemba has attracted huge investor interest.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is on record saying Kanyemba is one of the areas that has been targeted for extensive irrigation development projects planned across the country.
A range of development initiatives have since been planned at central Government and local authority level to prime the area in order to receive the investment consistent with interest it has generated.
These include the process of town planning, which will define land use zones such as key locations for infrastructure like roads, airport(s), residential places, recreational and tourism areas.
But three major issues are stifling huge investment into Kanyemba and Mbire in general and these are trafficable roads, power and planned Y bridge linking Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Mbire and Kanyemba in particular, believed to host significant amounts of uranium, sits on the edge of the mighty Zambezi River, which also forms its confluence with Luangwa River.
Because the confluence of Zambezi and Luangwa sandwiches Zambia, flanked by Zimbabwe and Mozambique a Y bridge will provide single access into or from Zambia and Mozambique.
Mbire District chief executive Claudius Majaya said in an interview that the district continues to be plagued by power supply issues, which has seen part of it go for months without electricity.
Majaya said the local authority has appealed to the Government for expedited resolution of the problems, but said the specific request is for installation of steel poles that carry power lines.
The Mbire CEO said interrupted power supply has become a regular or common feature as power gets cut off each time wooden poles supporting power lines are attacked by termites.
“We have not had power since October last year. If we get steel poles we are assured of electricity. Right now there is no power from Mahuwe, Chitsungo and other areas; the whole district.
“This stalls the momentum we had garnered. It scares away investors if they know you have power challenges. People will not come if they know you have not had power for six months,” he said.
Kanyemba itself does not have power although the requisite infrastructure has been installed to connect the area for supplies from across the border in Zambia, only a stone’s throw away.
As a temporary measure, it was much cheaper and convenient to get power supplies from Zambia than from mainland Zimbabwe, given the distance to the nearest connection point.
However, Majaya said while it has taken long for the challenges to be resolved, they have received assurance from relevant arms of Government that the issue will eventually be addressed.
He also identified the slow progress in construction and rehabilitation of the highway road, which is in such poor state from Mahuwe area, becoming nearly untraficable further in the district.