PLUMTREE Town Council is set to embark on an ambitious development plan to spearhead growth in the area.
In an interview with Southern Eye, Plumtree Town Council chief executive officer Thembelani Nyoni said they would soon be engaging a consultant to map the way forward for the border town, located 100km southwest of Bulawayo near the Botswana border.
“We are still waiting for budget approval to engage a consultant for our local development plan,” Nyoni said.
“We want to leverage sports tourism in our three districts — Matobo, Bulilima and Mangwe — which border our town.”
He said there were many game facilities and rock paintings in the Matobo area, adding that the town is a transit point ideal for tourists.
“There is the Luswingo Heritage Site in Tokwana village, Bulilima, which is a historic stone-walled settlement built by the BaKalanga.
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“It showcases workmanship similar to that of Great Zimbabwe.”
Nyoni highlighted that this vital cultural hub hosts the Luswingo Kalanga Cultural Festival, which aims to preserve heritage, traditional dances, cuisine and spiritual history.
He added that they were looking for a consultant capable of packaging such assets for the development of the town.
“Our housing waiting list is at zero, meaning we have no challenges in terms of accommodation,” Nyoni said.
“As we speak, we have three contractors working on servicing stands, but there are no takers.”
He also pointed out that the town has no water or electricity challenges.
Matabeleland South Proportional Representative Nomathemba Ndlovu said they would work together with the local authority to drive development.
“We will join hands. We have realised that most infrastructure development, particularly buildings, is also taking place in rural areas because many homesteads are closer to the border,” Ndlovu said.
“Communities prefer to cross into Botswana to do business there.
“We need a holistic approach to this issue so that we can attract investors. We also need industries to create employment.”
The town, founded in 1897, serves as a key border post and administrative hub.
According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 14 459 across six wards.