Perpetua Murungweni
Bikita Business Association (BBA) has urged Bikita Rural District Council (RDC) to allocate stands to potential investors and individuals to build permanent structures as a way of promoting business growth, development and employment.
BBA chairperson Charles Musimiki said the association has since approached council requesting them to give land to those operating viable businesses in the growth point.
“As an association, we urge council that those operating viable businesses should be given land and should not be put on the waiting list for more than five years because these companies and individuals are contributing so much to the growth of Bikita and it also creates employment for the community.
“If these companies and individuals are given fixed assets, we will be sure as a community that the investors will not go anywhere else and it helps us to capture good investors for our place to grow and achieve the vision of making Bikita town by the year 2030,” said Musimiki.
Musimiki went on to add that council should follow the footsteps of the president Emmerson Mnangagwa who went to as far as Belarus to source for potential investors.
“I don’t see any reason why companies such as Bata, Econet and N. Richards should continue renting. Bikita RDC should try and follow the footsteps of the President who recently went to Belarus to source and identify potential investors,” added Musimiki.
Bikita District Development Coordinator (DDC) Bernard Hadzirabwi also urged council to try by all means and allocate stands to potential business investors operating at Nyika Growth Point.
“I urge council to identify and allocate potential investors stands so that they can build permanent structures as this helps in the growth of Bikita and towards achieving the vision of making Bikita a town by the year 2030,” said Hadzirabwi.
The DDC also urged the business association to be patient with council because it will take time to allocate investors stands as it requires physical planning with the Head Office and various stakeholders.
“The business association should be patient with council because allocating investors stands takes time as it requires physical planning with the Head Offices and various stakeholders,” added Hadzirabwi.
He also encouraged potential business investors in Nyika to apply with council so that they can be first allocated when all the procedures are done and approved.
“I urge all the business operators in Nyika to apply for land with council, put on the waiting and they will be the ones to be allocated when all the procedures and physical planning are done and approved,” he said.
Efforts to get comment from Bikita RDC Chief Executive Officer Peter Chibhi were fruitless.
