The Minister of Local Government and Public Works Hon D. Garwe says the huge milestones done by Chipinge RDC reflect the government’s dedication to improving service delivery in all communities and fostering effective local governance, which are critical components of its commitment to empowering local leaders and enriching the lives of citizens. He also said that these showed the government's continual efforts to strengthen local governance and enhance local authority service delivery at both Chipinge RDC and Chipinge Town Council. Minister Garwe was addressing councillors from both local authorities’ 49 councillors -39 (RDC) and 10 (urban) today. Hon Garwe said he was happy to learn that in tandem with NDS1 to address the national priority area of housing delivery, council has undertaken a Manicaland Youth housing scheme project. A MoU was signed between Council, Manicaland Youth and the Financier Empowerbank. The area has 3500 stands and roads opening has already started. To-date Council has carried out a title survey of 500 stands, and 500 beneficiaries have received their stands. A total of 2600km of roads has been opened. Council has this year budgeted to title survey and service1400 stands. “As such, councillors have a crucial role to play in addressing the needs and concerns of our communities. By strategically positioning you at the grassroots level and equipping you with the necessary tools to perform your duties effectively, we sincerely hope you will be able to reach even the most remote areas, ensuring that no citizen, society, or community is overlooked. This will undoubtedly lead to better governance and a higher quality of life for all our citizens,” Hon Garwe told the councillors. He urged council not to overlook traditional leadership and ensure all chiefs in their jurisdiction have boreholes drilled at their places for communities to benefit from. Hon Garwe added he was confident that if the government strengthen local governance, “we can drive sustainable development and create resilient communities”. He expressed gratitude to all Councillors for their hard work and dedication in shaping the future of the country. He said the President Cde E. D. Mnangagwa’s steadfast commitment to the devolution agenda has been instrumental in empowering local authorities to drive economic growth and development at the grassroots level. Specifically, Hon Garwe said, the devolution agenda has witnessed the implementation of various social and economic projects, that have become instrumental in driving the goal of vision 2030 which is to become “an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income society by the year 2030.” “I, take this opportunity to appreciate the efforts your two local authorities are putting in place to ensure that the devolution agenda becomes a success.” Some of the few development milestones by the two councils are:- CHIPINGE RDC ~Maongere Clinic Nurses’ house, Ward 18 ~Junction Gate Mothers shelter, Ward 8 ~Checheche Market Stalls, Ward 24 ~Mabee Primary Classroom Block, Ward 28 ~Maunganidze Clinic, Ward 1 ~Master Plan, all wards – 100% complete ~Computerisation for improved information systems ~Checheche Clinic and staff accommodation ~Procurement of backhoe excavator, Dumper trailer, front end loader, lorry purchase, horse truck, low bed lorry, motorcycle, project vehicle, roller compactor, two towed graders, towed water bowsers, tractor ~Borehole drilling in Wards 5, 6 and 24 ~Charuma classroom block, Ward 3 ~Mbire classroom, Ward 6 ~Goko classroom block, Ward 3 ~Samhutsa classroom block, Ward 2 ~Kubatana classroom block, Ward 20 ~Rimayi – Checheche small bridge ~School furniture for primary and secondary schools, all wards ~Tongogara Refugee Settlement ECD block, Ward 5 ~Jamanda Bridge, Ward 29 ~Checheche Town Board streetlights, Ward 24 ~Checheche market stalls, Ward 24 Chipinge Town Council ~Improved water supply – from 4.29 megalitres in 2019 to 10megalitres a day now following intervention towards Idai Cyclone disaster ~Gravel Hauling (Makatapeya Road) ~Thiba Road Resurfacing(0.6KM) ~Purchase of Dumper Trailer, road compactor, skip truck and skip bins ~Usanga water reticulation and Usanga Kiosk water reticulation ~Borehole parallel line construction ~Construction of St Kelvin School ~Information Communication Technology ~One stop Shop Networking and Hardware ~Town Gaza (Thiba Road) – 3km (ERRP) ~Bhundu Road – 3.5km (ERRP) ~Makatapeya Road – 2km –Devolution ~CBD roads, Chinheya-Dzonzai Road ~Dzonzai - Gaza Road ~Rehabilitation of Musika Rank Master Plan, all wards – 100% complete Chipinge District holds the potential to significantly contribute to the development of the country and the attainment of Vision 2030 at large. This district also holds the potential to significantly boost its Gross Domestic Product through various avenues such as agriculture, tourism, rural industrialization, and business investment. Chipinge has a wide range of crop and fruit farming, and in particular, the cultivation and processing of macadamia nuts, bananas, avocados, pineapples, maize, cereals, potatoes, coffee, and sugarcane. Additionally, there are promising prospects for dairy farming, tea plantations, and forestry, with 2,000 hectares currently utilized for both commercial and communal purposes, and another 3,000ha available for further development. Hon Garwe added that there is untapped tourism potential in attractions like Chirinda Forest, multiple waterfalls, natural hot springs, and the vibrant cultural heritage of the Shangaan and Ndau communities. He urged the Chipinge RDC and Chipinge TC to seize these opportunities, as the successful execution of these initiatives will greatly contribute in achieving Vision 2030. The Minister also showed gratitude and appreciation to President Mnangagwa for the successful implementation of the Call-to-Action BluePrint resulting in local authorities producing Master Plans and Valuation Rolls, along with the attainment of other critical tenets outlined in the Blue Print that are crucial for enhancing local authority service delivery. Hon Garwe said the Ministry will soon finalize the drafting of the Minimum Service Delivery Standards which will serve as a benchmark for services across all the 92 local authorities. “This is very urgent and critical to ensure that the services delivered by local authorities are consistent and in accordance with international standards,” Minister Garwe said.