Government is stepping up efforts to secure financing for the US$600 million Runde-Tende Dam in Chivi, a mega water project expected to transform irrigation and agricultural production in Zimbabwe’s southern Lowveld.
The Government is engaging local and South African investors who have expressed interest in financing the project, which will be constructed at the confluence of the Runde and Tende rivers.
In an interview with the media, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, said the dam would provide additional water for irrigation, with sugarcane among the major crops expected to benefit.
“The Runde-Tende Dam will supply additional water for irrigation in the Lowveld and sugarcane is one of the crops that will be irrigated by the dam’s water,” Dr Masuka said.
However, the Government plans to cap the dam’s capacity at about 1.6 billion cubic metres to safeguard the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge highway, which crosses the Runde River at Lundi Bridge, just over 100km from Masvingo city.
“However, the dam’s size will have to be capped at about 1,6 billion cubic metres so that we protect our highway,” Dr Masuka said.
Despite the proposed cap, Runde-Tende will rank among Zimbabwe’s largest inland water bodies, surpassing Lake Mutirikwi’s capacity of about 1.4 billion cubic metres, although remaining smaller than the 1.8 billion cubic metre Tugwi-Mukosi Dam.
The project is also expected to become a key component of the planned Lowveld Integrated Irrigation Development Master Plan, which seeks to establish an irrigated green corridor spanning nearly 200 000 hectares from Mwenezi in the west to Chiredzi in the east.
Once implemented, the development is expected to unlock significant agricultural potential in the Lowveld, strengthen food production and create opportunities for large-scale commercial farming and agro-processing.
The Runde-Tende project is therefore being positioned as a major strategic investment in Zimbabwe’s water and agricultural infrastructure, with financing discussions expected to determine the pace of implementation.
