Call for tollgate in Chipinge

Luthando Mapepa
VARIOUS stakeholders in Chipinge last week on Friday agreed to engage the Ministry of Transport to erect a toll gate to generate revenue for the rehabilitation of the strategic roads in the district.The consultative meeting which was attended by traditional chiefs, farmers, Government heads of department, legislators and residents welcomed the move and said that there should be accountability on the revenue in order to fund the project.

They agreed that the revenue collected should give preference to strategic roads such as the Tanganda-Ngundu, Tanganda-Jersey highway which play a critical role to the lives of people.

It was agreed that major roads which links strategic places should be given the first preference when rehabilitation begins.

Last year Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Cde Obert Mpofu announced that Government would increase the number toll gates from 22 to 32 by April 2015. Briefing the consultative meeting at Chipinge Primary School, the national House of Assembly member for Chipinge East, Dr Winmore Mlambo, said the new toll gate should be installed at strategic places where maximum revenue will be collected.

“All stakeholders in Chipinge should join hands together and map the way forward on how best the district can restore our roads. We have already engaged the ministry of transport and they are willing to work with us this year.

“We are happy that everyone is supporting this project and we hope we will also continue to engage other stakeholders involved in this project.

“We need to ensure that we have good roads in Chipinge and this can only be achieved if there is a good source of revenue. In the yesteryears Chipinge recorded many road accidents and most of the causes of these accidents are attributed to bad roads,” he said.

Chief Mapungwana applauded the move for the construction of a toll gate and urged the responsible authorities for the speedy implementation of the project.

He said the development will see motorists across the country contributing something to the development of the community.

“We must give ourselves a time frame when this project should kick off because we are tired of promises which do not see the light of the day.

“We all know that the Government is broke and installing a toll gate is the only idea which can improve our roads.
“Many transporters are coming here transporting farm produce without paying anything, but they would have damaged our roads.

“We need them to pay something that will benefit us the communities here,” he added.