from SIBONGILE SIBANDA in Hwange, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HWANGE, (CAJ News) – MORE than two decades after construction began, the Gwayi-Shangani Dam remains unfinished, symbolising the high cost of delayed national infrastructure and the growing frustration of communities in Matabeleland North and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe that continue to live with chronic water shortages.
Government officials insist the project will be transformative once completed.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Jenfan Muswere on Monday stated that “Gwayi-Shangani Dam will support tourism, aquaculture, domestic and industrial water use, Bulawayo metropolitan province, hydro power generation.”
The dam is designed to anchor the long-planned Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, supplying water to Bulawayo and surrounding industries while stimulating agriculture, agribusiness, hospitality and job creation.
Yet public patience is wearing thin. Citizens note that the 2025–2026 rainy season again passed with large volumes of runoff lost because the dam wall and related infrastructure are incomplete.
For a region repeatedly hit by drought, each missed season deepens economic vulnerability and undermines confidence in state planning.
Located about six kilometres downstream of the confluence of the Gwayi and Shangani rivers, the dam has a planned capacity of approximately 691 million cubic metres, making it one of the largest inland dams in Zimbabwe.
Its strategic significance extends beyond Matabeleland North: it is intended to stabilise water supplies for Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, support irrigation schemes, enable fisheries, and potentially generate hydro-power to feed regional grids.
Construction began in September 2004, with multiple deadlines announced and missed. Authorities previously indicated completion by May 2025, later shifting the target to December 2026.
These repeated postponements have reinforced public perceptions of policy inconsistency and weak project execution.
Local voices openly question the government’s priorities and capacity.
“What surprises me most is that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government keeps pushing to have him in power beyond his constitutional mandate that ends in 2028, yet they cannot complete major national infrastructure that aims to improve people’s lives. It boggles the mind why this Gwayi-Shangani Dam cannot be completed honestly,” said Mthandazo Moyo.
Others argue that official statements lack practical detail.
Eric Bloom remarked, “That’s obvious, even a Grade Three child can say that. As someone with an earned ministerial post, delve into something of value. When will the dam be completed, how is funding coming, and where will the power for the numerous pumping stations come from?”
The prolonged delay reflects a broader national pattern.
Over the years, the ruling ZANU-PF government has launched ambitious projects – from power stations and highways to irrigation schemes – that stall due to funding gaps, corruption allegations, policy shifts and weak institutional oversight.
Cost overruns and changing contractors often erode original budgets, while economic instability constrains long-term financing.
These failures have deepened political alienation in Matabeleland.
Many residents associate ZANU-PF with historical marginalisation, unfulfilled development promises and unresolved grievances, including past state violence and decades of perceived neglect.
In this context, an unfinished flagship project like Gwayi-Shangani reinforces distrust and fuels opposition sentiment.
The dangers of delayed infrastructure are tangible.
Without the dam, Bulawayo remains exposed to perennial water shortages that disrupt households, industry and investment.
Agriculture and tourism opportunities are lost, jobs are not created, and climate resilience remains weak.
Completing Gwayi-Shangani would not only secure water and economic growth, but also restore confidence that national projects can be delivered for the public good.
Timely completion would demonstrate accountable governance, unlock regional confidence, attract private investment, and reduce humanitarian risks associated with water rationing.
Until that happens, the dam stands as a cautionary lesson on how delayed infrastructure perpetuates inequality, slows development, and turns promised transformation into prolonged hardship for ordinary citizens across Matabeleland and Zimbabwe at large nationally.
– CAJ News