Calvin Manika
THE minister of State and Devolution for Matabeleland North, Richard Moyo, represented by one of his director toured Hwange this week.
The visit came after several trips were made by the minister to acquaint himself with economic activities and investment opportunities in the coal and quarry town.
All this is part of the devolution programme, a decentralisation of economic leverage provided for by the 2013 constitution.
Director Mugwagwa accompanied by his deputy director, Tapera Mugorewa toured an area adjacent to NSSA complex which has been earmarked for the resident minister’s offices in Hwange.
The tour included a visit to the Empumalanga local board clinic, Nechibondo primary school in the oldest suburb of Empumalanga and Mother Care pre-school in the leafy suburb of Baobab.
At Nechibondo primary school, the minister visited a lamd which has been set aside for the construction of an ECD Block.
The devolution process is seeing to it, that all areas in need of development are attended to, this include, education, health, social services and economic activities.
Devolution programme entails the principle of empowering provincial government councils to spearhead economic and social development projects in their areas by leveraging local resources.
The emphasis is on economic development and not political power, which remains in the hands of central government, under the country’s unitary state structure.
Devolution is outlined in the new Constitution of Zimbabwe of 2013.
Chapter 14 of the 2013 Constitution provides for provincial and local governments.
The preamble of section 14 states that there must be devolution of power and responsibilities to lower tiers of government in Zimbabwe to ensure the preservation of national unity in Zimbabwe and the prevention of all forms of disunity and secessionism; the democratic participation in government by all citizens and communities of Zimbabwe; the equitable allocation of national resources and the participation of local communities in the determination of development priorities within their areas.
Devolution was seen as a necessary vehicle for doing away with the over-centralized system of government, for, promoting locally driven development, improving the delivery of public services, and promoting national integration and peace while recognizing diversity.
The National Development Strategy 1, a national planning document running under the theme “Towards a Prosperous & Empowered Upper Middle Income Society by 2030” launched on 16 November 2020 in Harare will run from January 2021 to December 2025, it will be the guideline for the devolution programmes.
The national blueprint is replacing the Transitional Stabilisation Programme which started in October 2018 and is ending on 31 December 2020.
“Implementation of devolution emphasizes regional economic development. This, therefore, entails the development and tracking of economic activities at district and provincial levels; hence the need for developing and monitoring of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics at district and provincial levels,” said Andrew Bvumbe, a senior director in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development while addressing a devolution conference September 2019.
In the same month of September 2019, Hwange town secretary Ndumiso Mudlalose hosted governor Uitee Fesius of Omaheke province, Namibia on an exchange visit by the visiting Namibian delegation on investment and trade between the two provinces.
Minister Moyo graced the visit and had time to exchange notes with his Namibian counterpart.
The visit marketed the economic pillars of Hwange which is a coal mining, tourist destinations, power generation and the wildlife in the district.
The governor from Namibia Omaheke province was accompanied by Namibian government officials, local authority councillors, businessmen, farmers and media practitioners from his province, and he took the opportunity to state areas of concern.
“There are business people interested in the solar industry in Namibia, they will be glad in coming to Matabeleland North region due to its sunny conditions,” said the governor.
He said the business between the two regions will add value to the economies of the two countries.
The delegation had time to tour Makomo resources for the investors to appreciate coal mining.
