Beitbridge East Member of Parliament Albert Nguluvhe (left) inspects progress on the Tshikwalakwala irrigation project recently. — Picture: Thupeyo Muleya.

Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau 

The 65-hectare Tshikwalakwala Irrigation Scheme, in the doldrums for 15 years, has been rehabilitated by Government in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at a cost of US$1 million.

Work started in 2019 and was completed in September. At the moment, the 130 plot holders are working on fencing and land preparation to plant maize on 32ha under phase one at the end of this month. Government intervened to save the irrigation scheme from total collapse through the smallholder irrigation revitalisation programme.

Matabeleland South’s provincial irrigation engineer Shepherd Mupotegwa said the scheme was now being handed over to the community. There is a solar plant to run the pumps and the total available water could irrigate 1 000ha. So there was a proposal to extend the current 65ha to 90ha in a set-up where 25ha would be put under citrus.

“We have constructed two ground-mounted solar plants with an output capacity of 75 kilowatts and 54 kilowatts,” said Engineer Mupotegwa.

“In terms of water facilities, eight more boreholes have been drilled along the Limpopo River using modern technology, and we also converted the existing three to use solar-powered pumps. The contractor has completed his obligations and the Government is now in the process of handing over the project to the community in Tshikwalakwala.”

District Agritex officer, Mr Masauso Mawocha, said so far the farmers had cleared more than 12ha of farming land and had procured the inputs including seed and fertilisers.

“In addition, they are almost done with the fencing and setting up a deterrent trench to stop wild animals, mainly elephants, from destroying the crops,” he said. “So far, they have covered 2,7km of the trench and the target is to get to 5km.”

Mr Mawocha said the farmers had shown great commitment to get things working again at the irrigation project and expected to start planting at the end of this month.

“This season, we will start off with planting maize and introduce other crops at a later stage,” he said.

Irrigation Management Committee chairman, Mr John Kibi Muleya said they were considering erecting an electric fence as a long-term plan to deter wild animals from destroying key infrastructure and crops.

He said procuring diesel to power the three pumps had been a problem for many years and some plot holders were considering pulling out because of the situation.

The smallholder irrigation revitalisation programme is being implemented in four provinces and in Matabeleland South the focus has been on the Tshikwalakwala Irrigation Scheme.  The communal irrigation project was started in the 1960s and has been grounded for a very long time because of a number of challenges.