Council takes swipe at Zinara

Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council has allocated $20 million to fund road rehabilitation programmes from its 2016 budget after it received a raw deal from the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA). Presenting the $340 million budget, the city’s finance chairperson, Clr Tranos Moyo, said Zinara had disbursed less than $600 000 to the city this year, a far

cry from what Harare requires for its roads maintenance programmes.

“Your council is not happy with the state of the roads throughout the city. Ordinarily, user fees and in this case vehicle licensing fees, currently being collected by Zinara, should fund road maintenance programmes and it is disheartening to note that to date, Zinara has only disbursed less than $600 000.

“Engagements with Zinara in a bid to unlock roads maintenance funds are ongoing. It is our hope that more funds will come our way as we struggle to give a semblance of repair and maintenance to our approximately 5 000 kilometres of road network,” he said.

He said the 2016 budget has set aside $20 million for the purchase of an array of road maintenance equipment such as pneumatic rollers, bitumen distributors, graders, water bowsers, asphalt pavers and road marking machines, among others.

Clr Moyo said in spite of the absence of the anticipated support from Zinara, council did not halt overlay on Julius Nyerere Way, Kenneth Kaunda Avenue, Robson Manyika Avenue and Sam Nujoma Street.

It sprayed and resealed portions of Rotten Row, Mazowe Street, Seke Road and Capri Road and number of failed roads were reconstructed including Southey Road in Hillside, Fourth Avenue and Westwood Road in Warren Park, Mhlanga Road, Ardbennie Road and Chaminuka Road in Mbare and Huxton Road in Waterfalls.

The city said apart from capacitating roads maintenance teams, it has deemed it fit to progressively replace the refuse collection fleet which is now too costly to repair and main- tain.

“The replacement programme will be done over a period of four years and at a rate of 10 compactors per year starting in 2016 up to 2019. “Besides the need to renew the refuse collection fleet, Pomona Dump Site has over the years been a source of anxiety because of its lack of proper attributes of a landfill site.

“In an effort to establish a proper landfill site, the budget before you proposes the setting aside of US$ 5,5 million,” he said. Most councils have called for a change in policy to enable local authorities to collect licence fees in order to fulfil their mandates or alternatively for the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development to allocate financial resources in accordance with the number of vehicles in an area.