A traditional leader and his subjects in Matabeleland North Province recently held a ceremony that included music, ululation and dance to mark the start of a methane gas project in the Mashokotsha area, Lupane.
The Lupane methane gas project in Kusile Rural District’s Siwale Ward 1, has remained in the pipeline for years and could be finally taking off after an investor, Lubimbi Power and Gas moved on-site to meet local leadership, culminating into the traditional ceremony.
A number of companies have been given grants by Government before, among them Tumagole of South Africa, Sakunda Holdings and Shangani Energy Exploration which is owned by Chinese steel giant Sinosteel.
Chief Mabhikwa of Lupane said the traditional ceremony held earlier in the week was in line with traditional customs of consulting ancestors and seeking guidance from them ahead of the start of the project. He said:
This was just a traditional groundbreaking ceremony in line with our cultural practice of consulting ancestors on our activities.
This is a huge project and we want it to have the blessing of ancestors and elders.
Many people including elders in the community attended and there was dance and singing as the elders consulted ancestors.
This is nothing unusual and the investors are free to go ahead once they feel they are ready.
The traditional ceremony was attended by scores of villagers from Siwale ward and some officials from the province.
Zimbabwe has an estimated 40 trillion cubic feet of potentially recoverable gas in the Lupane-Lubimbi area and could be probably the largest deposit in Southern Africa.