Anywhere Mutambudzi, the Chief Director of Strategic Communications in the Office of the President and Cabinet in Zimbabwe, has said the Gwayi-Shangani dam is now over 70 percent complete.
He made the claim while discussing water issues faced by Bulawayo, highlighting the high cost of purchasing borehole water from a supermarket in the city. He said:
A supermarket in Bulawayo is selling borehole water for 10,000 RTGS if you bring your own 20-litre container. Hopefully, without courting controversy, let me mention that Spar Montagu in Harare put a tap outside the shop running water from its borehole to allow the community to access water freely.
Access to sufficient clean water is a problem in Bulawayo. The completion of the Gwayi-Shangani dam which is now over 70 percent complete, the construction of the pipeline to Bulawayo and the upgrade of Bulawayo waterworks will resolve the perennial water challenges in the City of Kings for good. The Gwayi-Shangani Dam is part of the grand Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project that will see water being pumped from the Zambezi River to Gwayi-Shangani Dam to transform the areas within the reach of the pipeline from Zambezi to the Dam, and from the Dam to Bulawayo, into a green belt. The dam will also generate hydro power and will effectively increase the region’s tourism potential as flora and fauna improves because of the huge water body which will be the third largest in the country. The dam is expected to have a huge impact on Matabeleland North Province GDP contributing to the growth of the national economy.
The water crisis in Bulawayo is not a new problem. The city has been grappling with water shortages for many years due to a combination of factors, including rapid population growth, ageing infrastructure, and limited water resources. The situation has been exacerbated by climate change and the unpredictability of rainfall patterns.
To address the long-term water shortage, the Gwayi-Shangani Dam was proposed in 1912 as part of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP). However, due to a lack of political will and insufficient funding, the dam has yet to be completed. The project was recently awarded to the China International Water and Electric Corporation.
Once finished, the Gwayi-Shangani Dam will be the third-largest inland water body in Zimbabwe, following Tokwe-Mukosi and Lake Mutirikwi. The dam is located in Region Four, which experiences low rainfall and high temperatures. The government has invested over US$122 million in the project. In 2012, the government took over the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (MZWP) from the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Trust, led by the late Dumiso Dabengwa. The government had promised to accelerate the project’s completion but had limited success.