Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Government has acquired two new asphalt plants for Harare and Bulawayo as part of a strategic drive to build internal capacity and reduce the high costs of outsourcing road maintenance work.
The initiative forms a cornerstone of a broader national plan to eventually deploy at least one asphalt plant in each of the country’s ten provinces.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Joshua Sacco, revealed this in an exclusive interview in Victoria Falls.
He outlined a comprehensive re-equipping programme designed to empower the Department of Roads, local authorities, and the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (Rida) to take charge of rehabilitating the country’s deteriorating road network.
“As the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, we have realised that we cannot contract out all the work. Maintenance work should be carried out internally by the Department of Roads, by local councils, and by different road authorities, because it is far more expensive to outsource maintenance,” said Deputy Minister Sacco.
He confirmed the tangible steps already taken.
“What we have done as a ministry, through our minister, Felix Mhona, is import asphalt plants. Currently, we have two in the country. One is being assembled in Harare as we speak, and we are looking at an asphalt plant in Bulawayo to service the western part of the country,” he said.
Deputy Minister Sacco said the strategic goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in producing road surfacing materials.
“Ultimately, what we need is to secure ten asphalt plants to start with — one in each province — so that we can produce our own pre-mixes. Where we need to overlay bad sections or carry out pothole patching, we will not need to rely on third parties to supply this material. It will reduce costs and increase efficiency,” he said.
The procurement of the asphalt plants is part of a wider equipment mobilisation drive.
“The ministry is also focusing on resuscitating maintenance units within the provinces by purchasing trucks, tipper trucks, graders and so forth. This will allow us, as a ministry, to respond wherever there is need. Our road infrastructure requires extensive maintenance and, therefore, this capacity will go a long way,” said Sacco.
He highlighted parallel efforts to bolster other key agencies. Through the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Rida — formerly the District Development Fund (DDF) — has been significantly capacitated.
“President Mnangagwa has supported an initiative to purchase equipment for Rida, including dozers, tippers, graders — you name it. We are waiting for His Excellency to commission this equipment in the near future,” he said.
The equipment, he noted, will enable Rida to work in rural districts on roads that are not part of the main trunk network — roads that lead into communities, roads that require gravelling, and in some cases surfacing, as they have also acquired compactors and equipment to apply asphalt.
Further complementing these efforts, the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) is funding the purchase of equipment for Rural District Councils.
“Rural District Councils will then identify what equipment they need, starting with perhaps one piece of equipment each. Ultimately, once we capacitate the Rural District Councils where there is need, we can pool this equipment together,” he said.
Deputy Minister Sacco highlighted the successful model used during national Independence celebrations in Murambinda, Mount Darwin, and Matabeleland South, where pooled equipment allowed for rapid, cost-effective road interventions.
“On national events like Independence, where we need quick interventions, it is much cheaper for us as Government to use this capacity. We are very excited as a ministry that this will give us the ability to intervene where necessary,” he said.
The development marks a shift from reliance on private contractors to a model of direct execution by Government agencies — a strategy that will ensure more sustainable, affordable, and faster rehabilitation of Zimbabwe’s vital road infrastructure.
