News / Regional
Mnangagwa to tour Mtshabezi dam
12 Oct 2015 at 13:24hrs | Views
VICE PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to tour Mtshabezi Dam on Wednesday amid indications that government is preparing to officially commission the pipeline project Bulawayo24.com can report.
The project was completed in 2012 but its commissioning was stalled due to political interference.
Zanu-PF claimed that opposition MDC-T was attempting to use the project to gain political mileage ahead of the 2013 harmonised elections.
Former Matabelaland South governor Angeline Masuku at the time vowed ‘not sit back and allow MDC-T to mislead Zimbabweans".
She said the pipeline project had initiated by former Vice-President Mujuru when she was the Minister of Water in the 1990s.
When the project was completed, Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo was the then Water minister representing MDC-T in the GNU.
However, government sources said Mnangagwa is touring the project.
"He would be at the site Wednesday with Zinwa officials. The pipeline is now politically ready for commissioning".
The laying of the 41km pipeline from Mtshabezi Dam to Umzingwane Dam was in 2012 but Bulawayo could not draw water from the dam at full throttle due to lack of electricity.
Engineers had to resort to using generators, which did not have the capacity to power the pumps continuously.
The project was completed in 2012 but its commissioning was stalled due to political interference.
Zanu-PF claimed that opposition MDC-T was attempting to use the project to gain political mileage ahead of the 2013 harmonised elections.
Former Matabelaland South governor Angeline Masuku at the time vowed ‘not sit back and allow MDC-T to mislead Zimbabweans".
She said the pipeline project had initiated by former Vice-President Mujuru when she was the Minister of Water in the 1990s.
When the project was completed, Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo was the then Water minister representing MDC-T in the GNU.
However, government sources said Mnangagwa is touring the project.
"He would be at the site Wednesday with Zinwa officials. The pipeline is now politically ready for commissioning".
The laying of the 41km pipeline from Mtshabezi Dam to Umzingwane Dam was in 2012 but Bulawayo could not draw water from the dam at full throttle due to lack of electricity.
Engineers had to resort to using generators, which did not have the capacity to power the pumps continuously.
Source - Byo24News
