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Business Reporter
The Zimbabwe National Roads Authority is concerned that bulk freight meant for carriage by rail is now being transported by road, causing damage to the country’s road network. The authority’s head of corporate communications Mr Augustine Moyo said the road linking Harare to Beitbridge and that between Bulawayo to Hwange were in a bad state largely because of a large number of heavy haulage trucks carrying bulk commodities on the routes.
“There is a direct relationship between state of roads and movement of bulk freight,’ he said.
Mr Moyo said although Zinara had penalties for excess road loads, the money was never enough to repair the damage.
A truck found carrying in excess of 56 tonnes is fined 50cents for every extra kg.
He said according to records, the country had 18 586 heavy trucks and 14 304 large trailers.
“If we have 18 586 trucks and their trailers on the roads, it gives a picture of how much damage we are exerting on our roads which are already in dire need of rehabilitation,” he said at a transport symposium organised by the National Railways of Zimbabwe in Hwange last week.
Mr Moyo said the evidence on the impact of heavy trucks on roads can be seen on the stretch from Bulawayo to Hwange which is in a bad state on some sections while the stretch from Hwange to Victoria Falls was in a better state although the road was built at about the same time.
He attributed this to the high number of trucks leaving Hwange going to Bulawayo with heavy coal loads.
“Some sections have failed because you have coal being ferried on this section of the road,” Mr Moyo said.
However, coal miners and consumers said also rail transport was the ideal, there at times forced by circumstances to resort to costly road transport.
Executive chairman of Coal Brick Mine Dr Cephas Msipa conceded that hauling coal by road had caused damages to the network in Hwange town.
He called on the NRZ to provide steam trains to enable miners to carry coal over rail between mines and the Hwange Power Station.
Coal Brick Mine and Makomo Resources use 30 tonne trucks to ferry coal to Hwange Power Station on a daily basis.
The NRZ has said it has the capacity to move the coal being produced in Hwange as it had 3 226 wagons while the economy required about 3 000 wagons. The parastatal also has 23 locomotives when 19 would be adequate for current volumes.
Online Reporter