Entumbane residents team up to repair damaged road

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) requires $40 billion to rehabilitate 39 roads that have been identified as needing urgent attention with the 9,2km long City- Luveve road needing $6,4 billion.

Council which says it does not have such amount of money, has since engaged Government to assist with the funding.

Acting director of Engineering Services Mr Sikhumbuzo Ncube said the approved 2023 council budget did not make provision for such huge expenditure hence council was engaging Government.

“Council doesn’t have that kind of money, even the 2023 approved budget doesn’t talk to such figures hence we are engaging relevant Government departments to highlight our roads rehabilitation requirements,” said Eng Ncube.

Council spokesperson, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said the municipality has since exhausted its Zinara allocation of $71 million that it received in December for road works. She said acquittals have been submitted to Zinara

“Council received a disbursement of $71,1 million on 15 December 2022 from Zinara and we have since exhausted the amount. We have submitted acquittals and are waiting for the next disbursement. The

City of Bulawayo’s Zinara allocation for 2023 is $817 million,” said Mrs Mpofu.

She said once Zinara releases the money, council will do an overlay of 2,5km of Khami road from the flyover to Zimtile while along the City- Matopos road there will also be an overlay covering 2,5km from 23rd Avenue to Leander road.

She said they will do another overlay of 1,7km on Waverley road from the 6 Avenue extension to Khami road.

“Council will reseal the 0,7km stretch of Edward road, starting from City- Gwanda road to George Avenue while an overlay of 2,7km will be done on Cowdray Park corridor road from the railway line to Cowdray Park Service Station. We will also undertake reconstruction of Herbert Chitepo Street from 4th Avenue to Masotsha road. Overlays will be done on 3rd Avenue road from Lobengula Street to Simon Parirenyatwa Street (2,1km), George Silundika Street from Leopold Takawira Avenue to 1st Avenue (1km), Jason Moyo Street from Leopold Takawira Avenue to 1st Avenue (1km), Josiah Tongogara Street from Leopold Takawira to 1st Avenue (1km), Josiah Chinamano Street from 14th Avenue to Birkenhead road (2,2km) as well as 1st Avenue from Lobengula Street to Fort Street (0.3km),” said Mrs Mpofu.
Early last month, the opposition-led Bulawayo council resolved to pull out of the Government’s Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2(ERRP2), claiming the programme was not benefiting the city. It said the release of Zinara funds was clouded in secrecy without any transparency. Councillors had also resolved to take Government to court over the issue but had to reverse both resolutions after management through the chamber secretary Mrs Sikhangele Zhou advised them that the ERRP2 was not funded by council’s Zinara allocation but was through Treasury hence the motion to stop the programme in Bulawayo was as good as rejecting a donation.

Meanwhile, Entumbane residents mobilised themselves through a WhatsApp group and repaired a badly damaged 70-metre stretch of Nketa Drive Road starting from its intersection with Luveve road.

The repairs were done on Saturday with residents, youths and local businessman Mr Gladwin Jaravani spending more than five hours patching up the road after getting the go-ahead from the council which chipped in by providing gravel and a water bowser.

The administrator of the group, Mr Nkosikhona Mlilo said through funds raised, they managed to purchase four bags of cement and food for volunteers.

“We could not just sit back as residents while the road continued to deteriorate so through our WhatsApp group we managed to organise ourselves to undertake these repairs. We asked for donations and various people including some businesspersons, pastors, kombi operators and private motorists contributed,” said Mr Mlilo.

Mr Jaravani who runs a sports bar in the suburb said bad roads affect business as customers from other areas might decide not to visit the suburb fearing damaging their vehicles.

“I had to participate in this excellent initiative because bad roads negatively affect businesses. What is happening here is a confirmation of the Second Republic’s philosophy that ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo/nyika inovakwa nevene vayo,” said Mr Jaravani. — @skhumoyo2000