Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A new primary school that was built in Beitbridge Town’s Ward 4, in the Khwalu 2 suburb is set to open doors for classes next term, an official has said.
Beitbridge Town Clerk, Mr Loud Ramakgapola said the school — Alfred Beit Primary whose construction was made possible through devolution funds was almost complete.
The school, so far, has two classroom blocks and authorities are working on toilets and related facilities.
So far, the local authority has spent at least $18 million to build the two classroom blocks at the new primary school from their 2022 allocation.
“We are in the process of finishing ablution facilities. We now plan to open in Term 2 this year,” said Mr Ramakgapola.
The new primary school was named after the trust which built the first bridge that links Zimbabwe and South Africa in 1935.
Since the 1980s, the Beitbridge council only had two schools under its ambit which include Dulivhadzimu Primary School and Vhembe High School.
It is expected that the building of the Alfred Beit Primary School will help decongest most schools in the town.
Beitbridge Mayor, Councillor Peter Pirato Mafuta said recently that the local authority also plans to use more funds to build more schools to accommodate the town’s ever-growing population.
“Two classroom blocks have already been completed at the new school and the construction of ablution facilities has commenced so that will see this school opening doors soon,” said the mayor.
Sunday News is reliably informed that the town has a shortage of four primary and two secondary schools.
Ideally the council needs to have a primary school for every 5 000 people and one secondary school with three feeder primary schools.
The town has an estimated population of 100 000 with three secondary and six official primary schools.
Among other things the municipality has also deployed their devolution allocations to buy the yellow machines (earth moving equipment) which are critical in stands servicing, road maintenance and construction.
With their 2023 funds, the council managed to digitise services, buy solar power back up systems to ensure they offer continuous services and to upgrade the Local Authorities Digital Systems (LADS) for budget formulation and to construct a new clinic to improve primary health care facilities.
According to the latest municipality budget proposal, the local authority says it intends to build a poly clinic, construct 25 by two-roomed houses, procure a 20 000 litres bowser to augment the firefighting services, a tipper, a 12 tonne roller compactor, an ambulance install public lights, buy tow service vehicles and drill two boreholes at strategic points.
Service delivery has gradually been improving at the cash-strapped municipality as the Government continues pouring in funds for capital projects under the devolution initiative.
In the last four years the council managed to procure a refuse compactor truck and earth moving equipment, upgraded its ICT facilities and procured two service vehicles.
They also built five two-roomed houses to address the colonial problem of crowding in the Dulivhadzimu suburb. The council is targeting to build a set of 28 new two-roomed houses. –@tupeyo
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