Umguza is set to be awarded town status before the end of 2023, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe has said.
Garwe made the remarks early last week during a tour of Kings City being developed by Radar Properties in Umguza. He said:
Government is saying out of the 10 provinces in the country, eight are rural provinces and are endowed with natural resources and rural district councils.
Umguza Rural District Council is wealthier than Bulawayo City in terms of resources, but you can only be visible if you convert those resources into infrastructure development, of which housing is part of it.
We want all the RDCs to become small towns. Before the end of this year, Umguza would be given town status.
Radar Properties chief executive officer, Elias Hwenga said that the Kings City project covers over 2 100 hectares of land, with a total development cost of US$150 million. Said Hwenga:
The project consists of 10 000 residential stands, 19 schools, four medical facilities, 15 commercial centres, 37 institutional stands and 350 industrial stands.
Kings City will create a modern and vibrant community of over 40 000 people, becoming a model for sustainable and inclusive urban development in Zimbabwe and beyond.
The government recently granted town status to Tsholotsho Centre in Matabeleland North Province and Mhangura in Mashonaland West Province.
Mhangura became the third Town Board in the Mash West Province after Banket and Chirundu, which fall under Zvimba and Hurungwe Rural District Councils respectively.
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