Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR) Company has partnered with the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) to rehabilitate a service road in Insindi, Gwanda District, following an outcry from villagers over its deteriorating condition.
The intervention is expected to ease transport challenges for more than 60 households that rely on the road running alongside the Bulawayo-Beitbridge railway line to access essential services in Gwanda Town.
Insindi Village is situated about 10 kilometres from Gwanda Town along the railway corridor and local community members said the road had become almost impassable, especially after the heavy rains received during the 2025/26 rainy season.
Village Development Committee chairperson Mr Xolani Ncube described the rehabilitation works as a major relief for villagers who have for years struggled to use the road.
“That road had not been serviced for a very long time and we were facing serious challenges, especially during the rainy season. Vehicles were getting stuck and sometimes people would spend the night on the road guarding their vehicles,” he said.
“With the heavy rains that we received this year, the road was left severely damaged. It became extremely difficult for vehicles to pass through. In some places, people had to create alternative routes because the damage was so severe.”
Mr Ncube said the road is a lifeline for the community as it connects villagers to the main road leading to Gwanda
Town, where they access healthcare services, schools, markets and other social amenities.
He said locals had embraced the project and were contributing labour to ensure its success.
“The community has assumed ownership of the project. People are volunteering their labour because they know how important this road is to our daily lives,” said Mr Ncube.
BBR safety, health, environment, risk and quality officer Mr Jullian Nkosi said the railway company responded after receiving concerns from the community about the poor state of the road.
He said the 7-kilometre stretch requires complete rehabilitation.
“We have come together with the Insindi community in servicing the road after they approached us with concerns that the service road was in a dilapidated state,” said Mr Nkosi.
“We then engaged RIDA, which has provided a yellow machine for the works. As BBR, we have provided 200 litres of diesel to fuel the machinery. This initiative is important not only for the safety of the community but also for the safety of trains operating along this corridor.”
Mr Nkosi said BBR intends to extend similar interventions to other service roads along the railway line that have not been rehabilitated for many years.
RIDA Matabeleland South provincial director Mr Likhwalethu Ndlovu said the agency readily embraced the partnership in line with Government’s development philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind.
He said although the road falls under BBR’s jurisdiction, RIDA saw the need to collaborate and mobilise resources to address the community’s concerns.
“Initially, the community approached us requesting rehabilitation of the road, but we advised them that it falls under BBR. Through a public-private partnership arrangement, we have mobilised resources to attend to the road,” said Mr Ndlovu.
“As RIDA, we have provided the yellow machine and technical expertise, while BBR is providing consumables such as diesel. We are also taking advantage of this exercise to rehabilitate the broader road network within the Insindi community.”
Mr Ndlovu said improving rural road infrastructure remains key to enhancing access to social services and stimulating economic activity in communities that have historically lagged in development.
