State Media|TWENTY NINE households in Mazwi village on the outskirts of Bulawayo will be relocated to pave way for the erection of a 335km long overhead power line from a proposed Hwange Substation to Insukamini Electricity Substation by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC).
The proposed overhead power line is part of the Hwange Power Station Expansion Project which will add an additional 600MW of power to the national grid upon completion in 2022.
To enable transmission of additional power from Hwange, there is need to construct new power lines from Hwange to Insukamini and Sherwood.
According to the latest council minutes, ZPC wrote to Bulawayo City Council (BCC) seeking authority to relocate the residents.
“The proposed generation expansion works at Hwange Thermal Power Station includes construction of additional transmission infrastructure which includes the construction of 335km long overhead power line from the proposed Hwange Substation to Insukamini Electricity Substation. The route of the power line runs through Mazwi Township. This will result in the need to relocate twenty-nine households,” said ZPC in a statement to BCC.
In the minutes, BCC did not raise any objections to the proposed relocation.
It however said ZPC must provide alternative accommodation before Mazwi homesteads are demolished to pave way for the project.
“A proposed residential layout has therefore been prepared to cater for the affected families,
However, it shall be noted the movement of displaced persons to the new properties is a process that ought to be done prior to destruction of the existing properties. There is a sequence of activities that are ought to be carried out to make the new homesteads available,” said BCC in response.
“The stands are to be departmentally surveyed for cadastral data, the developments on each existing property have to be taken note of and replacements have to done on the new property.
“The roads have to be constructed to the specification of the Director of Engineering Services. Communal water mains extensions have to be put in place and construction of houses to duplicate the existing structures to de done in accordance with the Council approved plans and the relevant by-laws.”
The city council said ZPC will pay for all the costs of the project which BCC will supervise.
“All costs related to the entire project are to be borne by the Zimbabwe Power Company. Thereafter permission is sought from council for processes that are to be carried out to effect the relocation to start in earnest. All works related to this project to be done under the supervision of council,” said the statement.