At the centre of a vast swathe of magnificent landscape of
prime farming land north-west of Harare lies a mountain that dwarfs its lush
green environs.
The rich red soils, have for years, been the hallmark of
agriculture but the land use plan has changed.
Atop the mountain, a building is fast rising, brick and
mortar after brick and mortar, reinforced by a medley of deformed iron bars.
The pastiche of deformed iron bars is slowly swallowed from the foundation
upwards as mixed concrete, brick and mortar firm into walls.
This is the new Parliament of Zimbabwe whose construction
heralds the establishment of the new capital city.
On the foot of the mountain, a hotel and Casino resort is
rising, its distinct Chinese insignia unmistakable; its posture and location
showing the intent to capture a big market represented by the country’s
leadership.
That the new hotel’s gate faces the entrance to the August
House, is not coincidental. It is a
business decision.
A spitting distance from the Parliament, a new suburb,
Sandton, is fast growing. Modern houses are rising very fast from every corner.
The Government of Zimbabwe in 2012, announced its plans to
build a new capital city in Mt Hampden. The new capital will have a Parliament,
a Presidential palace, the Supreme and High courts, the Reserve bank, posh
suburbs, hotels and modern shopping malls.
This has started happening.
Built in the shape of the Great Zimbabwe national
monuments, from which the country derived its name Zimbabwe – the big house of
stone — the Parliament building is a symbol of national power and exudes an
aura of the country’s powerful history from which the modern State was
constructed.
Sitting on 33 000 square metres, the new Parliament, which
is funded by the government of China, will be spacious.
Today it is clear that the Government’s dream to build a
state-of-the art and modern new capital city, is fast coming to fruition.
As we write, fuel stations, real estates, individuals,
corporates, diplomatic missions, banks, chain stores, hardware and brick
moulding companies, among others have taken up land and the pace is very fast.
Added to this, are a university, technology centre,
schools, churches, hospitals and industrial sites that have been approved and
most of the space has been taken up, already.
This had triggered a stampede for land.
This is a clear indication that the power matrix is shifting
from the current City of Harare to the new capital city. The new capital will
be the nerve centre of governance and commerce.
The new parliament will also have accommodation for
legislators to avoid wasting finances on hotel bookings.
A State House and official residences for the Speaker and
Senate President will also be constructed.
The city being built at an estimated cost of $10 billion,
from Government, pension funds and foreign direct investment and with the
assistance of the Chinese Government, will accommodate about a million people.
A preliminary map of the new city shows that it will
encompass Nyabira, Mt Hampden and some parts of Mazowe, while bordering with
Westgate on the present outskirts of Harare.
According to the site plan, the new city will have its own
water and sewage treatment plants, divorced from the current city.
The water will be drawn from Mazowe and Kunzvi dams and
four other smaller water bodies.
Based on the current national administrative maps, the new
capital city is in Zvimba district, which has made sure that its water supply
is divorced from Harare City Council.
The new capital city is going to be essentially a green
city as the model shows that it will be solar-powered and also heated through
biogas produced by recycling garbage and waste.
Although it is the rainy season, there is a lot of
construction work going on.
Many houses are complete others are near completion, while
the brick moulding business in brisk.
Brick moulding companies and water suppliers are having
good business. The construction work is expected to increase as the rainy
season ends.
The construction of the city will lure more visitors and
investors into the country. Nyabira Business Centre is expected to expand into
a big service centre as the capital city grows.
The nearby Charles Prince Airport will benefit and have a
facelift as planes bring traffic to the new city.
Resettled farmers from such surrounding areas as Lilfordia,
Muzururu and Royden are set to benefit from supplying produce to the city. Herald
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