The environment consultant for the Cewale (Siwale) Methane Gas Project in Lupane, Matabeleland North, Michael Montana, has bemoaned government's failure to grant it mining rights to start work.
Montana told Southern Eye that the investors were still waiting for permission from the Mines ministry to embark on the lucrative project.
Natural gas reserves were discovered in Lupane several years ago, but commercial exploitation has failed to take off despite the government granting its exploration a national project status in 2007.
“They did not come at a time when they were expected because they are still waiting for a letter from the Ministry of Mines. The letter is the one that’s holding them back,” Montana said.
He said the investors told him that they were likely to receive the letter from government sometime next week.
Kusile Rural District Council chief executive Sifiso Hadebe expressed the same sentiments, adding that the investors could be facing challenges.
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“We are still waiting for them ever since then. I think they faced some challenges because when we asked, we did not receive a positive response about whether they were still coming or not,” Hadebe said.
He said the project would bring life-changing development in Lupane and the country as a whole.
“If these investors come in there will be employment creation in Lupane and in the country. This investment is going to improve the availability of fuel. It’s going to boost the social status of the people in Lupane and create more business opportunities,” he said.