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The roads network in most urban areas are in a very bad state and this is mainly as a result of the incessant rains received throughout the country this farming season. Harare seems to be the worst affected hence the President Cde Mugabe last week declared a state of disaster on the city’s roads network.
What is very clear is that most urban areas are overwhelmed by the challenge to repair roads and would therefore need outside assistance. Many of these local authorities are battling to clear the salary backlog for employees which means they will not be able to mobilise the required resources to fund the rehabilitation of the roads network.
Most of the roads network were already in a deplorable state before the rains and following the incessant rains, many of the roads now need complete reconstruction as opposed to repairing. It is against this background that we want to call on the private sector to assist the councils to rebuild the roads.
Driving along some of the towns’ roads has become a nightmare because of the potholes that are not only damaging vehicles but also causing accidents as some of them can only be best described as gullies. The obtaining situation calls for an engagement between councils and companies in their areas of jurisdiction whose vehicles are being damaged by the potholed roads.
We want at this juncture to say thumbs up to the Bulawayo City Council whose city fathers have confirmed that they think outside the box when faced with challenges. The council came up with a very innovative way of engaging the private sector as well as residents in the programme to rehabilitate the city’s roads.
The council’s proposed “Adopt a Road’ policy if embraced by local companies and residents, will go a long way in assisting council to repair the damaged roads. Under the proposed policy, a company or an individual could volunteer to adopt a given stretch of a road which the company or individual can sponsor or undertake road maintenance.
What is now left is for council to popularise this noble idea by engaging companies and residents so that there is a buy-in from these stakeholders. Council could also come up with some incentive to encourage companies and individuals to participate in this scheme.
We want to urge other councils to come up with similar creative ideas meant to boost resources for service delivery. Instead of just mourning, councils, companies and residents should work together to find a lasting solution to the damaged road networks.
Online Reporter