By Maxwell Mapungwana
Mutoko Rural District Council is proposing to relocate the district’s traditional town centre to a new site to expand commercial activity and attract investment.
The proposed centre includes land earmarked for commercial, industrial, and residential development, including banking, retail, and modern housing.
Mutoko RDC investment focal person and environment technician Innocent Nyangara said the district’s location along the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway gives it a strategic advantage.
“Mutoko, being along the busy Harare-Nyamapanda Highway, is also coming in as a major investment area in the province of Mashonaland East with various opportunities,” Nyangara said.
He said the new centre would also have space for recreational facilities and amusement parks.
The district is also promoting renewable energy, particularly solar power, as well as mining and mineral processing.
“Mutoko is a very hot district with so much sunshine, making it ideal for investing in solar energy programmes,” Nyangara said.
“If someone wishes to invest in solar energy, we have got space that has been reserved for solar farms that will generate energy to feed into the national grid.”
The proposed relocation would provide more room for planned urban expansion than the existing centre, including cluster housing and gated communities.
“The area has a lot of space for the establishment of banking halls, commercial stands and many more,” Nyangara said.
“This area, shifting from the traditional Mutoko centre to the new proposed area, has so much space for banking halls, retail stores, supermarkets and a whole host of other business concerns one can think of.”
Mining and Agro-Processing
Mutoko is known for its black granite deposits and also has lithium resources. The council is seeking investment in mineral processing and value addition.
Nyangara said the council had registered a mine with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and was seeking partnerships.
“We also have lithium in Mutoko.
“As we move with the national mantra of rural industrialisation and value addition and beneficiation, we have also reserved space for lithium processing,” he said.
The council also wants investors to establish black granite cutting and polishing plants to increase local processing.
Agriculture is another potential growth area. Mutoko is a major tomato-producing district and has a tomato processing plant commissioned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The proposed town centre forms part of the council’s broader plan to support urban expansion and diversify the district’s economy through property development, energy, mining and agro-processing.
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