MUTARE-Chipinge Town Council has completed constructing a classroom block
at St Kelvins Secondary School with the enrolment of learners expected to start at
the beginning of next year.
Chipinge council chairman Lovemore Mkwapati said the school which was
constructed using devolution funds consists of one block with three classrooms and
offices ready to enroll form one pupils for next year’s school calendar.
“We are pleased with the progress made at the council school with one block and
ablution facilities completed and ready to house our very first enrollment. We are
expecting to start the enrollment process next term in preparation of the 2024
school calendar,” he said.
Mkwapati commended Government efforts in prioritising infrastructural
development especially in small farming towns such as Chipinge.
He however, hastened to dismiss rumours regarding the school being turned into a
vocational training centre stating that such was just a temporary arrangement
lasting for a few months.
“We are aware that there has been an uproar regarding the school being turned into
a training centre. Just to clear the air, the school is sticking to its mandate but since
we have not yet opened our doors to learners we have made temporary
arrangements for the building facility to be used as a vocational centre as the
training centre also finds its feet by year end,” said Mkwapati.
Meanwhile, the Chipinge vegetable market which houses over 200 vendors is
complete and set to be commissioned soon.
Mkwapati said the facility which was constructed at a total cost of US$80 000 has
assisted in removing vendors from undesignated points in town.
“We have just recently opened a people’s vegetable market which houses close to
200 vendors and this has helped us to reduce the number of illegal street vendors.
We are very excited about this latest development,” he said.
He added that the market bio-digester was fully functional thus promoting waste
management at the same time generating revenue for the local authority.
“Our bio-digester is now fully operational. This digester is there process all the
bio-degradable waste from the market to produce methane gas. This is the gas that
we sell as a local authority in order for us to get revenue from the by-products of
the vegetable market,” he said.
