Lake Gwayi-Shangani in final stretch

Government has activated plans to relocate 806 families who will be affected by the Lake Gwayi-Shangani project, with the exercise expected to cost approximately US$28 million.

Alternative land has already been identified in the Kanono area of Lupane District, under Chief Mabhikwa, ahead of the dam beginning to impound water.

The affected families are from the Lubimbi area under Chief Kavula in Binga District, Matabeleland North, where their homes and agricultural land will be submerged as the dam fills.

Lake Gwayi-Shangani assistant resident engineer Joachim Banda said all affected families must be relocated before water impoundment can begin.

"The dam will take a space of 10 000 hectares of land where the 806 families are living and they all have to be relocated before we start impounding water," Banda said.

He was speaking to a visiting provincial delegation led by Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo on Friday.

Banda said Government was targeting completion of the dam wall by the end of the year, but stressed that consistent funding would be required to meet the target.

Monthly funding for the project has reportedly been increased from US$5 million to US$8 million.

"We hope to complete the construction of the dam wall by the end of the year but for us to meet that target we must get consistent monthly funding from Government," he said.

However, he said the dam could not begin impounding water by closing its bottom outlets until the affected families had been relocated.

The proposed relocation programme will follow a "build back better" model, with each affected family set to receive a modern four-roomed house with a kitchen.

The families will also be allocated land for crop cultivation and grazing.

Banda said a bill of quantities for the houses had already been submitted to the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) for approval, with construction expected to begin next year.

The relocation comes as construction of the broader Lake Gwayi-Shangani project gathers pace.

The dam is expected to cover approximately 10,000 hectares and ultimately have a storage capacity of 634.27 million cubic metres, making it Zimbabwe's third-largest inland water body once completed.

Banda said six pump stations would move water from the dam to Bulawayo through a 252-kilometre pipeline, with a water treatment plant planned for Cowdray Park.

Each pump station along the pipeline corridor is expected to support a 200-hectare irrigation scheme, while another 600-hectare irrigation project will be established near the dam.

A contractor for the 600-hectare irrigation scheme has already been identified and is expected to commence work once funding is released.

The water treatment plant in Cowdray Park will have the capacity to process more than 100 megalitres of water per day.

Once fully operational, the project is expected to supply Bulawayo with approximately 220 megalitres of treated water per day, compared with the city's current daily demand of about 165 megalitres.

Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) engineer Gift Ziweya said construction of the dam wall had reached 82 percent completion.

"The dam wall is now at 82 percent complete and we anticipate that construction of the dam will be complete by the end of the year as long as Government continues giving us the monthly allocation of US$8 million," Ziweya said.

The pipeline and Pump Station Three are reportedly about 46 percent complete, while construction of the power station has reached 75 percent completion in terms of civil works.

The planned mini-hydropower station will generate approximately 10 megawatts of electricity.

Banda said civil works on the power station were expected to be completed by the end of the year, after which electromechanical equipment, turbines and switchgear would be installed.

While the relocation plans are progressing, community representatives have called for cultural considerations to be taken into account before families are moved.

Pedious Midzi Ndlovu, one of the community leaders representing the affected families, said authorities needed to consult residents over traditional and cultural issues.

"People have cultural rites they follow hence it is important to consult to avoid violating people's traditions. People have graves of their mothers, fathers and grandparents and a way has to be found to deal with this issue," Ndlovu said.

The Lake Gwayi-Shangani project forms part of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP) and is being positioned as a major intervention to improve water security, irrigation, industrial development and climate resilience in the region.

The project is also expected to create opportunities in commercial agriculture, tourism and rural industrialisation, potentially transforming agricultural production along the pipeline corridor and in Matabeleland North.

However, the successful relocation of the 806 families remains a critical condition before the dam can begin storing water.