Lake Gwayi-Shangani is expected to begin impounding water during the 2026-2027 rainy season, as the Government pushes to advance the long-awaited project aimed at securing Bulawayo’s long-term water supply.
Officials say the dam has passed 80 percent progress, and that the pipeline from the dam into Bulawayo is already being installed. Water is expected to be impounded once the dam wall is complete, with the coming rains as the target.
The project has been a long time coming. Lake Gwayi-Shangani was first proposed in 1912, but implementation stalled under the Rhodesian administration. Located in Hwange District, it will become Zimbabwe’s third-largest inland water body once completed, after Tugwi-Mukosi and Lake Mutirikwi in Masvingo Province. The dam has a planned capacity of about 691 million cubic metres.
For Bulawayo, a city that has endured chronic shortages for years, the stakes are high. The dam forms part of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project. The wider scheme includes a 10MW mini hydroelectric power station, a 252km pipeline with six booster stations to Cowdray Park in Bulawayo, and a 220ML/day water treatment plant.
The benefits are meant to reach beyond the city. Irrigation schemes covering 10,000 hectares are planned for communities along the pipeline route. Government also expects demand for potable water to shift to Gwayi-Shangani, unlocking irrigation potential from existing dams such as Upper Ncema, Lower Ncema and Insiza. The Information Minister has said the dam will also support tourism, aquaculture and hydropower generation.
The road to this point has not been smooth. Authorities previously indicated completion by May 2025, later shifting the target to December 2026. Some residents have voiced frustration that the 2025-2026 rains passed with large volumes of runoff lost because the wall was unfinished. A Bulawayo24 report put the projected completion at February 2027, which would still leave the impoundment timeline dependent on the rains and on works staying on schedule.
Funding has been a central factor. The President has directed that US$5 million be allocated monthly towards completing the dam. Officials say Treasury support has accelerated works.
Gwayi-Shangani is one of several dams being advanced. Government is targeting 12 high-impact dams by 2027 to expand water storage, irrigation and drought resilience.
For now, attention turns to the wall and the rains. If both cooperate, the coming season could finally deliver what generations of Bulawayo residents have waited for: water in the lake.
