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HARARE – Zimbabwe has completed preparations for the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit amid an intense crackdown on opposition figures and human rights activists.
Infrastructure projects, including road repairs and upgrades to accommodation and conference facilities, have been completed ahead of the first senior officials meeting ahead of the high-level summit, which will be held on Thursday.
Engineer Amos Marawa, Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet and National Coordinator for Flagship Programmes and Projects, confirmed that all necessary road works have been completed and contractors started removing equipment this week. “Zimbabwe is ready! The SADC summit itself has begun, the Industrialisation Week activities started last Sunday and end today (Friday),” Marawa said.
The government has secured more than 20 hotel executive suites to accommodate 15 heads of state and other senior officials from the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the African Development Bank. Six of the 18 state-of-the-art villas being developed at Hampton Hills will be completed this week, with contractors completing electrical fittings, plumbing connections, furniture and landscaping.
The new parliament building will serve as the main venue and is ready to host the summit, where senior officials’ meetings will also be held. The authorities used the recent SADC Industrialization Week to test-run the facilities.
Work has also been completed on the new VVIP State Pavilion at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, which will be commissioned by President Mnangagwa. “Everything has been completed, including furniture, carpets, lighting and ancillary works,” Marawa said.
Marawa gave details of the accommodation arrangements, noting that more than 20 executive suites have been booked at Rainbow Tower, Hyatt Regency and Monomotapa. “Rainbow Tower is ready to provide them with 11 suites, Hyatt Regency has seven and Monomotapa has three,” he added.
Extensive road rehabilitation work has significantly reduced travel time between Harare and Hampden Hill. “It now takes only 20 minutes to travel from the central business district to Hampden Hill, whereas it used to take at least an hour,” reports Malawa.
Construction of 12 villas at Hampden Hills is nearing completion, with six already sealed and interior decoration underway. “We should be able to complete about eight. For the other six villas, we are already installing fittings, electrical, water and furniture in the actual rooms,” said Malava.
Despite the government’s preparations for the summit, the country has been criticized for its ongoing crackdown on opposition members and activists. Prominent activists including Namatai Kwekweza have been detained, sparking international concerns about human rights violations.
The Senior Officials and Finance Committee meetings will begin on Thursday at the New Parliament House and end on Wednesday. The Council of Ministers meeting will be held on August 13-14, and the SADC Troika Committee of Ministers and SADC Troika Summit will be held on August 16. The Summit of Heads of State and Government will be held on August 17.
Source: The Mail on Sunday
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