CONSTRUCTION of the new capital city is set to start next year, Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo said yesterday in Harare.
Report by Everson Mushava Chief Reporter
Addressing journalists at a Press conference, Chombo said his ministry had made strides to complete the designs of the new affluent city to be built on the site Zimbabwe’s colonial masters reportedly originally intended to build present day Harare before a mistake in reading the campus led them to the Kopje area.
He said work on the new capital city in Mt Hampden to house institutions like the new state-of-the-art Parliament building to decongest Harare, will start next year.
“It is expected that development of the area will commence in 2013,” Chombo said.
“We have also made significant strides towards producing the designs relevant to the establishment of the satellite city that is intended to house our Parliament and to decongest the city of Harare through development of upmarket residential schemes, shopping and office malls.”
To be established in the mould of Sandton — an affluent suburb on the outskirts of South Africa’s commercial capital, Johannesburg — at the epicentre of the city will be a Parliament house surrounded by the State House and presidential and VIP villas.
These will be built adjacent to a wildlife sanctuary and monument, recreational parks and government offices, with luxury hotels and shopping malls, coupled with three-way freeways to complete the picturesque setting for the planned satellite town on 6 000 hectares of virgin land in President Robert Mugabe’s home district.
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It will also have official residences for the Speaker of Parliament and President of Senate.
A new university, technology centre, schools, churches, hospitals, an industrial site and five low-density suburbs to be known as Oldbury, Mt Hampden, Mgutu, Marryvale and Nyabira are some of the landmarks earmarked in the paradise city.
The city’s electricity is set to be generated from wind and solar power to augment erratic Zesa supplies.
The city will also have a separate water treatment plant from Harare, which suffers from regular water cuts.
However, in a move that shows the discord in the fragile inclusive government, Public Works minister Joel Gabuza said he was not aware of the new city plans.
Chombo, however, did not disclose the source of funding for the new city. Finance minister Tendai Biti has repeatedly said the government was broke and consuming more than its kill.
