The long awaited construction of the new 650-seater
multi-million dollar parliament building under a special Chinese grant will now
commence following a groundbreaking ceremony conducted by President Emmerson
Mnangagwa at the site in Mt Hampden about 18 kilometers northwest of Harare.
To be built in 32 months by Shanghai Construction group,
the new parliament building will decongest the old parliament which is too
small to accommodate the current 350 legislators.
To mark the commencement of the building of the new august
house, President Mnangagwa unveiled a plaque to lay the foundation of the new
state-of-the-art parliament.
In his address the President thanked China for setting
aside Zimbabwe’s old debt and giving the new dispensation a new lease of credit
lines.
“Chinese President Xi Jinping allowed the release of new
funds for Zimbabwe projects after my state visit to China in April this year,
including funding – the US$1.5 billion for Hwange 7 and 8 expansion project,
the US$153 million Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport rehabilitation,
then the 3rd is the grant, not a loan, to build a new parliament,” President
Mnangagwa said.
President Mnangagwa expressed profound gratitude to the
government of China for their commitment to support the emerging economy of
Zimbabwe.
He said the new parliament building will address congestion
challenges at the present parliament building, adding that the project was
muted many years ago but resource constraints had delayed it.
He said the construction of the new parliament will
culminate in the creation of a new world class city and called for both local
and international investors to come on board and grab abundant trade and
investment opportunities available.
Cde Mnangagwa says the relocation of parliament to Mt
Hampden will be a catalyst for development around the area which will all
culminate into a modern world class city.
“There will be other entities and structures supporting the
legislative structure. The judicial cluster, and then the executive cluster
will be relocated to the area – some ministries will be housed here including
finance…. Other facilities like banks, hotels will be built around this place…
“Modern residential areas will also be built. Developers
must come on board and develop a world class city …if they do not take
advantage, foreign investors will come and benefit from long-term
opportunities. We want a modern, smart city to be constructed here,” said
President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa said government is determined to achieve
Vision 2030 saying it is a question of commitment for the vision to come to
fruition.
He said the construction of the new parliament building
will create employment for Zimbabweans.
“The majority of workers during construction will be local;
they will be partnering those from China,” he said.
The President challenged members of parliament to be
accountable to the people individually and collectively as they represent the
people that elected them into office.
“All parliamentarians have a critical role to play in
propelling the national vision through hard work and diligence to
duty…non-attendance of meetings shall not be tolerated,” he said.
Also present at the ground breaking ceremony were the two
Vice Presidents Retired General Dr Constantino Chiwenga and Cde Kembo Mohadi,
cabinet ministers, Chinese officials, legislators, chiefs and top government
officials. zbc
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