GOVERNMENT is not making efforts to expand connectivity to the national grid to Binga despite that power is generated from Kariba Hydroelectric Power Station, an opposition legislator has said.
Binga South legislator Fanuel Cumanzala (Citizens Coalition for Change) raised the issue in the National Assembly, challenging Energy and Power Development minister Edgar Moyo to give reasons why his home area is not benefiting from the lake which they paved way for its construction.
“May you please explain why Binga people are not enjoying the benefits of having the Lake Kariba Hydroelectric Power Station, considering that they paved way for the construction of the lake,” Cumanzala queried.
“There are two issues here. The first issue is how Binga or the Zambezi combined communities are benefiting from the Zambezi River Authority initiative, that is the Zambezi River Development Fund, which is appreciated, but I wish the minister could indicate where some of those projects that he mentioned are located in those specific districts.
“I am very familiar with Hurungwe, Kariba, Binga and Hwange. Then the second issue has to do with power supply itself.”
Cumanzala said Binga had, for many years, not been benefiting from the electricity generated at Lake Kariba.
“Of course, it now branches to Pashu and the Karirangwe route. Yes, the minister referred to some of the areas, which are Lusulu and Chapuwa. The minister referred to this as being down, but from my knowledge, these powerlines never functioned since construction and it has been many years now, maybe about 10 years,” he said.
“The poles are down, the copper cables are down. It is fortunate that most of our people do not steal, should I say otherwise, they could have vandalised the poles and stolen the copper lines, but they have been down for a long time now.
- Secure your business premises: Police
- New law answers exhumations and reburials question in Zim
- DT Bio Mudimba: A sungura perfectionist
- Travelling & touring: Gandavaroyi Falls: Tourism’s hanging fruit
Keep Reading
“Maybe the minister could explain why they have been down for this long and what plans are in place to make sure that those areas are covered by electricity because this is where the majority of the schools are.
“This is where the majority of the population lives. The clinics which are in those areas have no electricity. The schools have no electricity.”
In response, Moyo told Parliament that the Zambezi River Authority, as the implementing arm of the Kariba Dam, set up the Zambezi Valley Development Fund in 1997 to finance the implementation of sustainable infrastructural and developmental projects to alleviate the impact of the displacement of the Tonga/Kore Kore people on both sides of the Zambezi River in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“These are the communities which were displaced during the construction of Kariba Dam. The Zambezi Valley Development Fund has funded various infrastructural and developmental projects which include the procurement and restoration of grinding mills, sinking of boreholes, construction of schools and houses for support staff in respective project sites, among other things,” he said.
Moyo said some of the projects had been implemented in Binga, Hurungwe, Gokwe North and Kariba districts.
He also said the Rural Electrification Fund, with the mandate to electrify rural institutions, has over the years done electrification projects in Binga district.
“Projects completed under Siabuwa line include four chiefs’ homesteads, four clinics, 11 primary schools, five secondary schools, two business centres and the Transport ministry houses,” the minister said.
“However, the Siabuwa line has been down for a long time and repairs could not be done due to financial constraints at ZETDC [Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company] to secure materials, labour and transport.
“Despite these constraints, ZETDC has been working on these lines and to date has covered about 20km of the estimated 60km line. ZETDC has seen improvement in resources availability and expect to finish the line by end of December 2024.”
