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    New Marondera CBD?

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    ….Mega Market to play key role

    By Archford Chirimudombo

    MARONDERA– Despite struggling to offer consistent service delivery, the Municipality of Marondera has set its sights on creating a new Central Business District (CBD) for the farming town which is also the provincial capital of Mashonaland East.

    According to Kudakwashe Tapfumaneyi who is the council’s public relations officer, the proposed CBD will be located at Hunyani Timberlands where vast tracts of land have already been parceled out to several big corporates, private entities and moneyed individuals.

    If it comes to pass, Hunyani will be Marondera’s Harare version of Mt Hampden.

    Fielding questions from Chaminuka, Tapfumaneyi said: “Council is proceeding with the long-term plans to establish a new CBD at the Hunyani Timberlands area. As the municipality grows in population and experiences an increase in commercial and industrial activities, it has become clear that the current CBD can no longer accommodate this expansion. The planned expansion aligns with the Municipality of Marondera’s vision of becoming a city.

    “The expectation is that Mega Market and other investors will begin the construction of various infrastructure projects once the servicing modalities for the Hunyani Timberlands area are properly established.”

    Mega Market is the company that entered into a land-for-equipment deal with the council a few years ago, a development residents and ratepayers were skeptical about.

    Tapfumaneyi said the deal was successfully concluded and the local authority is now enjoying the benefits that came with it.

    “The Mega Market deal was successfully concluded with the delivery of all plant and equipment as agreed. Council is currently benefiting from the deal and will continue to enjoy its advantages indefinitely. For example, the acquisition of new machinery has positively impacted service delivery in areas such as stand servicing, road rehabilitation, emergency services, and refuse collection.

    “Furthermore, the acquisition of land by Mega Market was contingent upon its commitment to develop a new commercial node. This area will include a long-distance terminus, a modern marketplace, a hotel with conference facilities, medium and high-density residential stands (with 40 percent allocated for low-cost and high-cost flats), gated communities, cluster housing, a specialised hospital, a university, a polytechnic, and both private and public schools. The project will also accommodate heavy and light industries,” he said.

    Additionally, he hinted that the establishment of this infrastructure will contribute to the ongoing development of Marondera, evidenced by the recent openings of the Megawatt Shopping Mall, DA Service Station and the construction of the Metro Peech complex, among other developments.

    “The Mega Market agreement will help alleviate congestion in the current CBD, create trading spaces for informal vendors, provide housing, and reduce the housing waiting list. Additional benefits for the Marondera community include improved access to education and job creation through both light and heavy industries.

    “Council anticipates that the arrival of Mega Market will significantly boost Marondera’s economic activity and infrastructure development, extending well beyond the scope of merely acquiring operational equipment, which is also beneficial to the community,” Tafumaneyi said.

    The move while welcome, remains to be seen as the local authority has been failing to consistently supply water to residents and ratepayers, contain sewer bursts in certain areas, maintain roads mainly in high residential suburbs and provide street lighting, among other glaring negatives – raising questions on the feasibility of the business hub.

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