Chronicle Editor
Sithatshisiwe Vuma, Sunday News Reporter
THE road that connects Gweru and Crossroads in Silobela is set for a facelift after being included in the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) under the District Development Fund (DDF).
Officials said the road was badly damaged during the last rainy season making it impassable. The move to ensure the road is fixed comes following complaints by Lower Gweru and Silobela villagers that the road is in a bad state and no longer trafficable.
Silobela Ward 23 councillor, Lovemore Ncube said road users were having challenges as a result affecting the transportation of food relief consignments and agricultural inputs.
“Usually, we face problems when it comes to the transportation of the inputs to the ward. We are usually forced to leave our inputs at Loreto Hospital then we hire a lorry which makes it expensive. Sometimes Non-Governmental Organisations fail to deliver food aid because our roads are bad. We then have to beg our people to contribute money for transport but it’s a tall order for them as a majority of them are not employed.”
Clr Ncube said the bad state of the road was now a danger to travellers especially at night. Midlands Provincial Development Coordinator Mr Abiot Maronge confirmed that the road is in a bad state.
“Yes, we are aware of the bad state of the roads in question. Good news is that they are all part of our ERRP and will therefore be shortly attended to,” Mr Maronge said.
The PDC said by the end of the year most road repairs in Midlands will be completed with the road from Gweru to Lower Gweru being resurfaced while the one from Dimbamhiwa to Crossroads will be graded.
“Plans are at an advanced stage as we speak, we will resurface the road from Gweru to Lower Gweru then grade the one from Dimbamhiwa to Crossroads,” he said.
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