Gweru mayor shares city’s vision 2025

Staff Writer

Gweru mayor Martin Chivhoko has revealed his vision for the new year 2025 that is hinged on major developmental projects to ease the lives of residents and bring the town closer to a smart city status .

In an interview, Chivhoko said the first port of call will be to arrest the perennial water shortages in high lying areas of the city and develop a new surbub.
“ In 2025 we want to increase the pumping capacity of Whitewaters dam so that it can supply the high lying areas of Ridgmont, Northgate, Hertfordshire, Harben Park and Athlone. We also expect finalization of servicing of stands in Mkoba 21 so that our people will be able to construct their houses,” he said.

Amid bickering on the relocation of Woodlands dump site which has been a thorny issue over iussue, Chivhoko said plans to finally see it through are already in motion. New schools are also in the pipeline.

“We have also budgeted for the relocation of the dumpsite to a new landfill site along Matobo road. We are expecting 2 Primary schools to come up in 2025,” said mayor Chivhoko.

“Streetlighting of the major roads corridors into the city is also on top of our priority including the resuscitation of the traffic lights that are not working in the city. Our Ivene Rank will be opened soon to decongest our TM combi rank.”

With these plans on his table, mayor Chivhoko said 2024 was a year of successes.

“In 2024 we managed to procure some low lift pumps for Amapongokwe dam thereby increasing the production of raw water for our Gwenoro Water treatment plant. This enabled us to increase the pumping capacity of treated water from 35 megaliters to around 62 megaliters. We have eased water rationing. Some areas are now getting water for 5,6 days per week from what was obtaining of 1 day or 2days per week.”

“We have also managed to secure Service delivery vehicles for our different departments. In Mkoba 21 we have 700 stands that are ready to build some stands owners are at different stages of building their houses. We have also resuscitated Go Beer brewery thereby creating employment for the citizenry of Gweru,” he said.

Challenges however did not spare Gweru. “ Non payment of bills by our stakeholders residents, business and government departments. Non disbursement of Devolution funds from Central Government. I would like to encourage our stakeholders to love their City by paying their obligations so that the City can go forward,” said the mayor.

Recently Gweru City Council beer concern, Go Beer, reopening is perhaps the current talk of town. The development saw the local authority resuming supplies to the Midlands market after a decade of closure. “After completing servicing existing equipment, repairing boilers and receiving a new automated machine for the ‘shake shake’ product we have resumed operations and just before Christmas people were already enjoying our beer product,” Chivhoko said.

He revealed that the Go Beer investment will not only revitalize the brewery industry in the Midlands capital, but also create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

About 50 employees at the brewery are currently working while the National Social Security Authority has also inspected and approved the plant at the brewery. Council is said to have partnered Crest Street Industries in reviving the beer company and a brewing license has since been issued.
At the Go Beer Farm, 23 hectares have been laid for wheat production and this project at the farm will not only provide raw materials for the brewery, but also contribute to the country’s food security.

Go Beer’s resuscitation comes after several years of promises by previous council’s to revamp the defunct company. In July 2020, council announced that it had partnered an unnamed ‘giant’ opaque beer manufacturer for the revival of Go Beer, but the deal reportedly collapsed. Go Beer was closed in 2014 after years of plunder by management running the affairs at the beer firm. During that same year after the council announced it had shut down Go Beer, municipal police and auditors immediately took over and locked beerhalls around the city to institute a probe on the company’s business activities. However, to date, no culprits have been brought to book.

At its closure, the beer establishment was reeling under a US$2.6 million debt and was failing to honor its obligations at the Local Authorities Pension Fund. The cash-strapped local authority has since 2009 advanced US$2 208 914 to the beer concern towards the payment of former creditors and outstanding salaries after employees sued the council.

The beer concern also lost equipment and cattle, which were attached to cover retrenchment costs although council in 2018 managed to pay packages for all retrenched workers