INDUSTRY and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu has urged local authorities across the country to embrace public-private partnerships (PPPs) in delivering key infrastructure projects, noting that councils have the land but lack the capacity to develop it.
The minister expressed these sentiments in an interview on the sidelines of the Enock Construction stakeholder appreciation dinner held on Friday in Bulawayo, where he was the guest of honour.
Minister Ndlovu recommended the PPP model, particularly for local authorities, as a strategy to build modern cities.
“Local authorities do have the land, but by and large they really don’t have the requisite equipment to develop land to modern standards — where sewer reticulation infrastructure is top quality, road infrastructure, electricity connectivity and all this.
“So, bring in the private sector, partner in these projects, and you’ll come up with the results that we are seeing. PPPs, in my view, are a model to recommend, especially to local authorities if they are to build modern cities,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He highlighted the Valindre project by Enock Construction as an example of forward-thinking development aligned with the National Development Strategy (NDS2).
“The Valindre project has areas earmarked for high-rise buildings, promoting densification, which is consistent with NDS2. Land is finite — we cannot continue to expand endlessly. We have future generations to consider. You can see what the private sector is bringing now to facilitate densification as we develop our area. So, I strongly recommend that local authorities consider PPPs.”
The minister applauded the Bulawayo City Council for supporting local companies, saying this creates employment and empowers domestic investment. He also commended Enock Construction, noting that its work in developing Mahatshula East was so impressive that many assumed it was done by an international firm.
“Enock Construction is a fairly young company in Zimbabwe — about four years old and operating for around two and a half years now. But the kind of work they’ve done in land development and road construction is quite amazing.
“The founder and CEO, Mr Butho Dube, decided to show gratitude to stakeholders, particularly the City of Bulawayo, which took a chance on him at a time when he didn’t have a traceable track record. They gave him one of the prime areas, and this is evident to everyone who comes into Bulawayo from Gweru,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said this reflects President Mnangagwa’s philosophy of empowering local companies to participate in infrastructure development.
“We are not used to this kind of quality work being done by our own people, but when the President came in and empowered our people, we started seeing top-quality work from local companies. In the near future, it won’t be surprising to see our own companies exploring regional markets.”
Minister Ndlovu emphasised that Zimbabwe now possesses the domestic expertise required to deliver quality infrastructure projects under NDS2.
“We now have the right experience, the right expertise and the technologies required to go there,” he said.
Bulawayo City Council deputy mayor, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, echoed these sentiments.
“We gave them work as land developers, to develop residential stands in Mahatshula East in 2022 as a trial run to see how best they could perform. Today, we are pleased and very happy that they did a magnificent job, which other contractors should emulate.”
He added that, in line with NDS1 and NDS2, the City of Bulawayo is engaging private players through PPPs and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) models to assist in developing residential stands and reduce the backlog.
The Mahatshula East project executed by Enock Construction consists of 650 fully serviced residential stands, each with critical ancillary infrastructure, including solar-powered street lights.-herald
