A TUNISIAN company that submitted an unsolicited bid for the build and transfer of the US$350 million Muda-Nyatsime Dam and treatment works, a project that is expected to end the water woes bedevilling Chitungwiza, has expressed its commitment to complete the project timeously, NewsDay Weekender reports.
In an interview following concerns raised over delays in implementing the project, Hidtrotehenika Overseas chief executive Hristov Vladan said the company was created as a special purpose vehicle to provide turnkey infrastructure projects in Sub Sahara Africa.
However, construction of the US$350 million Muda-Nyatsime Dam and waterworks hangs in the balance amid concerns that the project is being delayed by government’s bureaucratic bottlenecks.
The project was given the thumbs up over a year ago after the then Agriculture, Lands and Water Resources ministry held a water conference and issued an open international tender for the construction of approximately 23 dams around the country in 2018.
Vladan told NewsDay Weekender that the consortium would finally allow the Muda-Nyatsime Dam project to see the light of day and bring water to Chitungwiza and the surrounding populations and farms.
“The construction of the Muda and Nyatsime dams, which would have the capacity to supply water to the whole of Chitungwiza, was planned by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority in 1988,” he said.
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“We have made our position on Zimbabwe clear. We believe that Zimbabwe has been lagging behind other African countries in infrastructure maintenance and upgrades because many capital markets are overly cautious to take long term positions with their money in Zimbabwe.
“Our company views Zimbabwe as an all-weather friend. Construction contracts, term sheets and other draft financing agreements are with the relevant authorities, Zinwa, PRAZ [Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe] and the ministries of Agriculture and Finance, who all understand the urgency. We are certain all the necessary processes have been completed and soon we will meet for signatures.”
Vladan said even before the tender, in April 2016, Hidrotehnika visited Zinwa and made a proposal to provide financing for water infrastructure projects in general and then build them.
“The repayment of the loan we offer would be made according to the defined schedule. Given the urgency of the situation, the company has committed to extremely short construction deadlines,” he said.
“We are confident we can execute the project in the shortest possible timeline in order to meet the emergency water needs of the Chitungwiza population.
“In addition, during the three and a half years of the construction period, hundreds of jobs would be provided to the people of the immediate region in Chitungwiza.”
He applauded President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the government in general, including the people of Zimbabwe, for giving them the opportunity to serve the country.
“What Hidrotehnika brings is the credentials of a company created in 1946, which has built more than 60 large dams around the world.
“It is a global company carrying out very large civil engineering projects. These projects are completed on time and to the highest construction standards and include big dams, highways and power plants,” he said.
Hidrotehnika has successfully delivered projects in Tunisia, The Gambia, Algeria and Zambia.
In 2022, the Hidrotehenika Overseas consortium met with Finance, Economic Development and Investments Promotion minister Mthuli Ncube.
“During this visit, the consortium committed to raising US$350 million funding in the form of a loan to the government of Zimbabwe for the build and transfer of the Muda-Nyatsime Dam and Waterworks,” Vladan said.
The Muda-Nyatsime Dam project will have the capacity to supply water to the whole of Chitungwiza, Beatrice and nearby surrounding industries.
The Chitungwiza Municipality and various stakeholders recently called on the government to declare the water crisis in the dormitory town a state of disaster.
The council has also approached the government after failing to provide enough water for the residents and ratepayers.