By Desire Tshuma
HARARE — Government has taken the media on a tour of major infrastructure projects across Harare Metropolitan Province, from Glen View to Epworth, Mbare and Mabvuku, in a showcase of what officials describe as the Second Republic’s drive to modernise working spaces, markets and transport infrastructure.
The tour, which started in Chemhanza, Glen View, before proceeding to Glen View Area 8, was led by Professor Paul Mavhima, who was representing the Minister of Information, Media and Publicity, Honourable Soda Zhemu.
Speaking after the tour, Prof Mavhima said the delegation had witnessed progressive work at every station.
“We witnessed the wonderful work that the Second Republic is doing, in terms of infrastructure in general,” he said.
He said the Glen View project was about incubation and providing modern working spaces for furniture entrepreneurs.
“The Glen View part was about incubation and providing working spaces, proper, modern working spaces for our entrepreneurs in the furniture industry. You know what has been happening in Glen View Area 8: the persistent dangers of fires happening, the unsanitary situation that the people working there were encountering, the crowdedness of those spaces,” Prof Mavhima said.
“Government has come up with a solution where they are not just decongesting, but also providing modern infrastructure to those entrepreneurs — in the new site and then moving the current people working in Area 8 to that new site, in order to then renovate and refurbish the current site. So, very, very progressive, something that is going to bring modernity to our entrepreneurs in Glen View,” he said.
The new Glen View site is expected to provide facilities for 3,500 entrepreneurs, more than double the 1,500 currently registered at Area 8, with fire-resistant designs, fire guards and adequate ablution facilities. Work is, however, behind schedule, with officials saying the project should have been about 85 percent complete but has been slowed by funding challenges.
The tour also visited Mbare Musika, the new market built about two and a half years ago under a public-private partnership with the City of Harare and national government.
“We saw a space that is completely different from what was existing at the old Mbare Musika. We wish to have a number of issues resolved so that the uptake of those spaces is brought to a higher level,” Prof Mavhima said.
“And then the old Mbare Musika will also be modernized. So there is a program for that. That one was done as a PPP, and we are encouraging the partner who has worked with the City Council and national government to resolve some of the issues that are there so that there can be complete uptake of that modern facility,” he said.
In Epworth, the delegation visited a UN-Habitat-supported waste management facility that sorts, compacts and markets waste including plastic, paper and metals.
“A lot of women are benefiting — upwards of 20,000 women are benefiting from that facility, which sorts, compacts, and then markets waste, like plastic, paper, metals, so the whole community is benefiting,” Prof Mavhima said.
The same site hosts a poultry project with capacity for 6,000 birds, already operational with 35 women benefiting together with their families, and a demonstration green building constructed with locally developed skills in Epworth.
The delegation also toured a women’s market developed with the assistance of UN Women, which provides a safe working environment with facilities for children.
“Very safe environment for women to work in, together, and with facilities for their little kids — play centre, a nursery right there. So the women can work and their mind will be at ease because their children are safe,” Prof Mavhima said.
The tour ended at the Mabvuku Interchange, which Prof Mavhima described as a mega project and a true testimony of the work being undertaken by the Second Republic under President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“We have come to one mega project — infrastructure project, here at the Mabvuku Interchange, true testimony of the work that the Second Republic, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa, is embarking,” he said.
“Huge project, one that is going to facilitate easy movement for all these residential areas in the eastern part of the metropolitan province into Harare, one that is also going to link this area with the airport, and then linking to Marimba Road, which means that there’s going to be bypass of the busy Harare CBD area,” he added.
Prof Mavhima said the contractor, Premier Rock, had made a lot of progress and the first phase would be handed over to government by the end of this month.
“This is the first phase, and they’re going to go into a second phase, which will make this almost as big as the Trabablas Interchange. So, we are very happy with what we saw. We are very happy to demonstrate the commitment that government has to improving the infrastructure of this country, which is the facilitator for trade, for industrialization, and for the general prosperity of our people,” he said.
Work is also progressing at the Masasa Roundabout interchange, being built by the same contractor.