Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr. Anxious Masuka, says government has reaffirmed its commitment to completing the Kunzvi and Gwayi-Shangani dams, describing them as national priority projects central to Zimbabwe’s water security and rural industrialization agenda.
Dr. Masuka said the government has opted to re-prioritize resources to ensure key projects are completed efficiently rather than progressing slowly across multiple fronts.
“Because of the resources involved in national priorities, it has become necessary to re-prioritize so that we don’t carry constructing all of them at a slow pace and take a decade to complete,” he explained.
He emphasized that Kunzvi Dam, which is now 65 percent complete, has strategic importance for rural development, industrialization, and water supply to Harare and the new city under development.
“We want Kunzvi because of its strategic importance for rural development and industrialization, but also for the supply of water to Harare and the new city,” he said.
The Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which is at 73 percent completion, remains a critical component of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, aimed at ensuring sustainable water supply for Bulawayo and surrounding areas.
Dr. Masuka said the dam’s massive scale had delayed its completion, but additional funding had been secured to accelerate progress.
“It is a much bigger dam, which is why it is a lag. We are getting US$5 million as a ministry to redirect to Gwayi-Shangani to ensure progress remains possible,” he noted.
The Minister added that government hopes to impound water at Kunzvi Dam this season, while Gwayi-Shangani is expected to reach that stage next year.
Dr. Masuka reiterated that the successful completion of these dams is vital to achieving perennial food security, enabling irrigation-driven agriculture, and moving the country away from the “episodic and weather-determined escapades of the past.”
