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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
BULAWAYO has been hit by a shortage of tar due to increased demand of the product as the city is embarking on a $625 million road rehabilitation programme under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP).
Bulawayo Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube last Monday revealed that the local authority was now intensifying a citywide road rehabilitation programme which is set to be completed at the end of the year.The rehabilitation programme is being conducted by the local authority in partnership with Government which is funding the project.The project is aimed at improving the city’s road network that has been littered with potholes. Motorists have been warned that some roads will be partially closed during the road rehabilitation exercise.
The process will include pothole patching, resurfacing and road markings among other maintenance programmes.
In an interview, Bulawayo Provincial Development Co-ordinator Mr Paul Nyoni said the city is rehabilitating at least 15 major roads at one go and this has caused the shortage of tar.
“As more and more contracts are being awarded there is now a bit of a challenge where the providers of pre-mix (tar) are now failing to cope with demand. When we had four or five contractors, they were able to supply their pre-mix but now that we have more than a dozen contractors and we are working on more than 15 roads at a time, the supply is stretched,” said Mr Nyoni.
“This is somehow a form of positive pressure it shows that there is activity but at the same time it slows down progress. For the southern region, Government had resolved that it would contract a contractor from Bulawayo to supply the tar. We are hoping that they will be able to increase their output in the short term in order to allow the project to move faster.”
The shortages have delayed the completion of the rehabilitation of Siyephambili Drive which was expected to have been completed in mid-September.
Mr Nyoni not only Bulawayo is rehabilitating its roads hence the shortage could be national, meaning there is a general demand increase for pre-mix. He said while some contractors have started rehabilitating some roads, others are yet to resume citing financial constraints.
“The guys who have won the tenders are now on the ground, some have already started while some are asking for advance payments. However, there was no provision for advance payment so what they are doing is applying and justifying their cases. The ones you are seeing running around are the ones that have started and the others are starting slowly because they need cash advancement. I’m sure you have seen activity along 8th Avenue, those are some of the new contractors,” said Mr Nyoni.
Other contractors were last week working on Old Khami and Hyde Park Roads.
The ERRP programme is expected to create employment opportunities for Bulawayo residents. Bulawayo Deputy Mayor councillor Mlandu Ncube last week said all companies contracted by the city council are compelled to hire locals especially where unskilled labour is needed.
He was reinforcing a position that was taken by Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube who said locals should be empowered in road rehabilitation works.
Minister Ncube said women also need to be employed in the road rehabilitation projects considering the responsibilities they carry at household level. — @nqotshili
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