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A major milestone worth celebrating

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FOR long, the news we were subjected to regarding the Tokwe Mukosi Dam was of ‘failure’ by the authorities to complete it.
The construction of the dam, an ambitious project which began in 1998, was no stroll in the park.
It was around that period that the Land Reform Programme took root and soon sanctions followed that severely crippled the economy.
And this stalled progress of the dam.
I imagine our enemies rubbed their hands in glee as this dam project, which held so much promise for progress, stalled.
And when you google the dam, even now when the dam is complete and 70 percent full, the description one gets of Tokwe Mukosi Dam is of ‘an unfinished concrete-rock rock-fill dam on the Tokwe River’.
When construction resumed again, we had fewer cheer-leaders but a lot of naysayers who criticised the work at every turn without offering any encouragement.
And when heavy flooding in 2014 caused a partial failure on the downstream face of the dam, I imagine they were delighted that our resilience and determination had been hammered even more by a force of nature.
Over 20 000 people had to be evacuated from both upstream and downstream, when the dam began to take shape and again loud noises were made as if it was right to let people drown.
But finally, at long last as some might say, the dam is complete.
And it has been commissioned by President Robert Mugabe.
This is a major milestone that we must celebrate.
The dam is expected to boost tourism in the area as plans to set up lodges and hotels in the area are in place.
Fisheries will also be developed that will go a long way in boosting and accelerating economic development.
There are plans to clear more than 41 000 hectares for sugar cane cultivation to be supported by the dam.
Another 26 000 hectares will be brought on board in the Lowveld, while another
15 000 would be for out-growers from Nuanetsi Ranch who were displaced during construction of the dam.
This project, which is now complete and come to life, is a huge part of the concerted drive to take control of our heritage and resources.
We have agreed as a people that there is more to political independence and to the chagrin of the West, we have worked, and continue working, towards achieving independence in all facets of our lives.
Beyond doubt, our country has in the last decade followed an exciting history.
As we went through the Land Reform Programme our detractors foretold of the demise of the country and this message they continue to harp even as we record successes such as the completion of this dam that will have a huge impact in the communities in Masvingo and the rest of the country.
The completion of this project is us taking up our own discourses, shaping our national agenda and not waiting for the world to come to our rescue.
Outsiders are free to come, but they will find us busy at work.
While others sing our failures and weaknesses, as they relentlessly do, we will doggedly focus on our strengths and celebrate our achievements as a nation and as a unified people.

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