Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Builders and Construction Association (ZBCA) annual conference last week elected Dr Tinashe Manzungu as its new president and he is pushing for more joint ventures between contractors and investors to speed up progress beyond what can be financed in the Government budget.
He took over from Engineer Christopher Mawere in the near automatic process of the senior vice-president each year moving up into the top post.
The ceremony was presided over by Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister Benjamin Kabikira and Deputy Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Nobert Mazungunye.
Founded in 1985, this member-driven non-profit organisation is committed to advocating for the interests of businesses and professionals in the construction sector.
Mr Gerald Chipumha is the senior vice president, Ms Galdencia Sigauke is the junior vice president, Dr Engineer Mawere is the immediate past president and the secretariat is led by the chief executive officer Mrs Joyline Zindaga.
ZBCA promotes professional development, best practices and collaboration, ensuring members are well-equipped to thrive in a dynamic industry, with a buy-in of the national mantra, “ Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo/Ilizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Balo”.
Eng Mawere, said: “ZBCA is an association of contractors and other players in the built environment and indeed we held our end-of-year conference in Victoria Falls where we inaugurated our current president Dr Tinashe Manzungu.
“I have great confidence in him after we worked together in the association. It’s our culture that the senior vice president will take over from the past president at the expiration of their term.
“I want to wish Dr Manzungu well and I assure him of my full support as the past president of the association.”
Dr Manzungu said his immediate agenda was to see extended traction in terms of infrastructure investments in the country and then in SADC.
“So I mean to say we understand that we have several projects that are lined up and the main or major objective being to implement the issue of our national development strategy towards Vision 2030. However, we want to work as contractors. The fiscus, the Government funds, cannot fulfil all the objectives of NDS 1 so there is need for investments in the infrastructure sector.
“Therefore, that is why you then see the coming together of ZBCA and investment authority ZIDA. We signed an agreement. We also find in the movement that we are also taking the drive towards inviting our colleagues from outside throughout the 16-member states of SADC,” he said.
ZBCA intends to find solutions on how to develop Zimbabwe without straining the fiscus.
“So coming together to form partnerships or joint ventures between contractors and or investors in road construction projects, in power projects, in water projects, in commercial or residential building projects just to mention a few is one key things that we would want to see happening. Our members are close to 500 and by that number, it means we cannot all feed from one pocket which is the fiscus.
“That is why we need to see more partnerships coming up, joint ventures coming up.
“Those with the finance partner with us as contractors to deliver. So the issue of partnerships, the issue of investments, the issue of concessionary agreements is what I would want to see in action as I start my agenda,” Dr Manzungu said.
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