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Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Municipality has started mobilising resources to repair major roads across the border town, which were recently damaged by rains that continue to pound the area, an official has said.
In an interview yesterday, town secretary Mr Loud Ramakgapola said they recently received ZiG1,3million from the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) that will be channelled towards road rehabilitation. The rains left most surfaced roads riddled with potholes.
Mr Ramakgapola said in some places they will re-gravel and fill potholes.
Most of the badly damaged roads are those linking the town’s CBD with the bus terminus, Tshitaudze suburbs, Khwalu 1 and 2, Dulilvhadzimu, Tshidixwa, Vhembe View and Limpopo view and other new suburbs.
“We recently received ZiG1,3million from ZINARA which we are going to use to rehabilitate and restore our road network,” said Mr Ramakgapola.
“At the moment we are mobilising the necessary material for this project. Civil works will begin next week.
“You will note that most of our roads were left in a bad shape, and hence we need to attend to them as a matter of urgency”.
He said some surfaced roads will be patched and that they have already identified a contractor to carry out the task.
Mr Ramakgapola said the main objective of the project was to create more traversable roads in the suburbs and to decongest the main roads leading to Bulawayo and Harare.
The roads rehabilitation programme is part of the local authority development strategy.
“We also intend to carry out more capital projects once our proposed 2025 budget is approved,” said Mr Ramakgapola.
The council recently proposed to increase its budget for 2025 by 18 percent which will see a large chunk of US$10 million being spent on capital projects in line with the town’s ongoing transformation into a modern city.
Under the same budget, tariffs pegged in US dollars remain unchanged.
In 2023, the local authority adopted a US$13,5 million budget for 2024 which has been reviewed to US$15,9 million this year.
Finance Committee chairperson, Councillor John Manatsa, who is also the deputy mayor, said they came up with the budget after consulting widely with residents, ratepayers, stakeholders and all interested parties.
He said their current service delivery was subdued due to financial constraints as witnessed by the low budget expenditure.
Online Reporter