. . . VP Mohadi reviews Maphisa projects 

Source: . . . VP Mohadi reviews Maphisa projects – herald

Raymond Jaravaza in MAPHISA

Preparations for this year’s Independence celebrations are progressing well, but extra effort is still needed in some areas.

Vice President Kembo Mohadi yesterday expressed satisfaction with major legacy development projects in Matabeleland South and the province’s preparedness to host next month’s national Independence Day celebrations in Maphisa, Matobo District.

Joined by Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, service chiefs, traditional leaders and senior Government officials, the Vice President toured Maphisa Stadium, the main venue for the national Independence celebrations on 18 April.

For the past months, Matabeleland South has been a hive of construction activity as more than 1 000 workers — 80 percent of them local — pushed through heavy rains and strong winds to revive major projects in the region and meet Independence Day deadlines.

Two schools, a cultural centre, a stadium, health facilities, a vocational training centre and roads, among other infrastructure, are being constructed or upgraded as part of legacy projects that will transform Matabeleland South and Maphisa in particular.

The celebrations have catalysed the completion of several key projects.

At Mahetshe Primary School, the venue for the Children’s Party, progress is impressive, with four new classroom blocks almost complete, while modern ablution facilities are now more than 80 percent done.

New teachers’ cottages are also under construction. Mahetshe Secondary School has been modernised with six additional classroom blocks, a laboratory, new ablution facilities and upgraded teachers’ cottages.

An airstrip is also nearing completion, giving the area a significant facelift and critical aviation capacity that is expected to attract foreign visitors and boost local tourism.

In his remarks after the tour, VP Mohadi expressed satisfaction with the broader progress but pointed out areas requiring urgent attention.

He reiterated that Government remains committed to ensuring that incomplete projects which fail to meet set deadlines ahead of Independence Day are completed, saying stringent follow-ups will be made with contractors to ensure they fulfil their obligations.

“All the projects that we have started ahead of the Independence Day celebrations that are going to take place here in Maphisa will be revisited to ensure that they are completed, because they are legacy projects that the people of Matabeleland South Province will look at in the future and say, ‘This is what the 2026 Independence Day celebrations brought to our province’,” VP Mohadi said.

“The people of Matabeleland South Province must be rest assured that Government will not abandon the unfinished legacy projects because that is not how we do things; that is not how our Government works.

“I am here as the chairman of National State Occasions and I am very happy with the progress of projects that Government has embarked on ahead of the Independence Day celebrations,” he said.

However, the Vice President expressed concern over the pace of road rehabilitation, particularly delays along the Bulawayo–Maphisa Road.

“I’m not happy with the pace of roads rehabilitation, as we seem to be lagging behind in that regard. I don’t know whether contractors will be in a position to resurface the roads by the time we celebrate Independence Day,” he said.

With about 10 contractors now working around the clock, there is hope that the works will be completed in time.

Maphisa and the broader Matobo District are undergoing extensive infrastructural development in preparation for the national event.

Government adopted a decentralisation approach to national events, rotating Independence Day celebrations across provinces as part of efforts to promote inclusive development.

“Government made a resolution that we are no longer going to centralise national events and that we need to rotate them across all the country’s provinces.

“Each and every province will have its chance to host the Independence Day celebrations. We started with Bulawayo, then Mashonaland Central in Mt Darwin, then Manicaland, after that we were in Gokwe, Nembudziya, and this year we are here in Maphisa,” VP Mohadi said.

“The people of Matabeleland South Province are motivated that within a short space of time, Government has managed to embark on massive developmental projects that will leave a lasting legacy in the province.”

Once completed, the legacy projects are expected to transform Maphisa from a modest rural outpost into a growing development hub, exemplifying the Government’s commitment to seeing previously abandoned or stalled projects through to completion — fulfilling promises that had gathered dust for more than 20 years.