Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
GWANDA Town has recorded significant infrastructure development over the years in both residential areas and business premises.
Recently, TM Pick n Pay opened a branch in the mining town, much to the relief of consumers who now have a wide variety of products at their disposal. TV Sales & Hire also opened a branch in the town while Simbisa Brands added a Pizza Inn outlet to their already existing Chicken Inn outlet.
Local business people also continue to build infrastructure in a bid to develop the town.
The town also houses one of the country’s major tertiary institutions, the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic.
Gwanda Town, which is located along the Bulawayo- Beitbridge Highway is one of the major stops for vehicles that are in transit.
It is also the provincial capital of Matabeleland South province. Residents had been complaining over the years that development taking place in the town did not resonate with its status of being the provincial capital but the recent developments have brought hope to many.
A resident from the town, Mr Christopher Dube said the developments and growth of the town were pleasing.“For a long time now we were concerned with the state of our town as there was little development taking place. While we still have a long way to go, I’m glad that something is happening. It was as though big companies were shying away from Gwanda but of late we have seen big companies opening branches in our town. TM Pick n Pay has opened a branch which has helped to improve the status of our town.
“We were relying only on OK and small shops which was limiting our options. We also have big names like TV Sales & Hire and I’m glad that Simbisa Brands has increased their outlets. We need more big companies to come in and establish branches,” he said.
Mr Dube said local business people were also doing a lot of work to develop infrastructure and open businesses. He said the town now has a number of clothing, food outlets, bars, grocery shops among others, courtesy of locals. Mr Dube said through building infrastructure, land developers were also creating livelihoods for upcoming businesses to start operating.
Another resident, Ms Sithokozile Dlamini said there was also growth of residential areas which has helped to accommodate the growing population of residents.
“I have lived in Gwanda for 20 years and back then there were not as many people and vehicles as there are now. The population of the town has increased which has increased the demand for living space. We did not have institutions such as the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic which has also increased demand for accommodation.
“I’m glad that more suburbs have been established and new ones are also emerging, which will help many people. We also need these new suburbs to be developed so that they can have water and sewer reticulation, roads and electricity. These suburbs also have to be supported by infrastructure such as schools and clinics which can service the people,” she said.
Mr Khumbulani Mlauzi said there was a notable development in the town’s industrial sector. He said in the past, residents had to travel to Bulawayo for services such as purchasing of building materials. Mr Mlauzi said some companies have been established in the town which were now assisting locals. He said there was however a need for development of the town’s manufacturing sector as it was still lagging behind.
“As residents of the town, it’s our desire to be able to access all major services locally. We are glad that a lot of work has been done in this regard because we no longer go to Bulawayo or South Africa for some of our major services. Eventually, we want to see Gwanda fully developed whereby we can access all services and goods locally. We have a lot of natural resources around which can enable us to sustain our economy,” he said.
Ward 8 Councillor who is also the chairperson of Gwanda Municipality Health and Housing Committee, Ntuthuko Ndebele said significant development had been recorded in the mining town and it was still ongoing. He said council could not finance all development works but a lot of progress had been recorded with the aid of development partners and local business people.
Clr Ndebele said businesses were not only developing in town but in the high-density areas as well.
“The town is developing and growing at a significant rate. Under residential areas, we have a new suburb, Ultra Extension which is being developed. We also have stands that are being developed by partners.
We have new land that has been identified for business purposes in the high density areas. There has been a lot of development which has taken place in the CBD which has seen the establishment of new shops and growth of the industrial sector. This development has to go on and it shouldn’t leave anyone behind,” he said.
Clr Ndebele said there were a lot of development opportunities in the mining town which can be utilised by investors. He urged locals to be in the forefront of developing their town. @DubeMatutu