Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
THE Bulawayo/Inyathi Road rehabilitation project is nearing completion, with contractors applying final touches to two outstanding bridges as the Government forges ahead with modernising Matabeleland’s road network.
The rehabilitation of this road is part of a broader upgrade of the critical Bulawayo-Nkayi Road that connects the city to the greater Matabeleland North Province.
Before the upgrade, it used to take motorists over an hour to reach Inyathi Business Centre from Bulawayo, a journey that now takes just 30 minutes, thereby boosting trade and economic activity in the area.
Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Richard Moyo, said the completion of the Bulawayo/Inyathi Road was a testament that Government’s kilometre-by-kilometre approach is bearing fruit.
“Government took a deliberate move to rehabilitate our roads in phases, as and when resources are available, unlike the old model when we waited for Treasury to release the full amount required for a particular road project,” he said.
Minister Moyo said following the completion of the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo/Inyathi stretch, the focus now was on the remaining stretch from Inyathi to Nkayi Business Centre.
“The rehabilitation of the Bulawayo/Nkayi Road will not only make the road safer for motorists but will also open up new opportunities for local businesses,” he said.
An industry player in the roads construction sector who preferred anonymity said a shortage of bitumen has hit the country after the months-long blockage of the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East due to the US/Israeli – Iran war.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, where about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through from oil-rich nations such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Kuwait, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“Bitumen is a by-product in the distillation of crude oil and local companies import it from refineries in the Middle East, so the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also affected us,” said the official.
“There is a shortage of bitumen in the country as a result of the war in that part of the world where we buy the product, so it’s not surprising that most of the road rehabilitation projects that have reached a stage that require bitumen have been halted.”
Bubi Rural District Council chief executive officer, Dr Patson Mlilo, said the completion of the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road will be a game-changer for investment.
“The stretch from Bulawayo to Inyathi Business Centre is just 60 kilometres but it was taking two hours to travel. We hope now that the rehabilitation works are almost complete, investors will be attracted to our district,” he said.
“As a rural district council, we want to see wholesalers, manufacturers of different commodities, and suppliers of fresh products such as bread and milk coming here for business, and that way our local economy will grow,” Dr Mlilo said.
Bubi legislator and Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Simelisizwe Sibanda, said the area would benefit economically.
“It’s difficult for businesses to invest in an area with a bad road network, and because of the improvement that we are witnessing on the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, we will see a lot of investors coming into the district,” he said.
“The coming of businesses will eradicate monopoly by the few players that have established businesses in the district, and that in turn will result in competition, causing prices of goods and services to go down,” said Deputy Minister Sibanda.
He noted that high transport charges on the route would drop as more operators are attracted to the improved road network.
“The transport fares from Bulawayo to Nkayi were high simply because we have fewer public transport operators who are plying this route.
“When more players come in, transport fares will drop, and people will have more disposable income to channel to other needs,” he said.
Matabeleland North provincial roads engineer Xolani Ncube said the two contractors working on the bridges have been on site for over a month.
The completion of the Bulawayo/Inyathi road is part of Government’s efforts to modernise Zimbabwe’s transport network, with the Matabeleland region immensely benefiting from a major road rehabilitation drive.
The project, which is part of a nationwide initiative to improve connectivity, is expected to unlock economic opportunities in rural provinces.
