Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
THE Government is dedicated to rehabilitating all roads across the country, particularly in urban areas that have been neglected for decades, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona has said.
Minister Mhona, along with Senator Charles Tawengwa, Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Provincial Affairs, toured roadworks in Glen View, Harare yesterday.
Following years of neglect by opposition local authorities, Government initiated the construction of roads connecting towns and cities in various provinces, with the Mbudzi Interchange in Harare nearing completion at 90 percent.
This interchange, set to be renamed Trabablas Interchange, is expected to be finalised by May 31.
The US$88 million project at the intersection of Simon Mazorodze Road, Chitungwiza Road, and High Glen Road aims to alleviate traffic congestion in southern Harare and features completed bridges.
During the tour, Minister Mhona expressed excitement about the ongoing infrastructure rehabilitation, noting that the government is focused not just on trunk roads but also on local roads that have long been overlooked.
He highlighted the importance of addressing these issues to foster grassroots development.
Minister Mhona outlined plans for rehabilitating Simon Mazorodze Road alongside the Harare-Beitbridge road.
“We are so excited as a Ministry. When we started the project of rehabilitating our roads, being championed by our great leader, Comrade Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, we were talking about descending to the locations, and this is what we are witnessing today. We are in Glen View, and we have been saying to the people, we don’t attend to trunk roads only, which was the mandate of the Ministry, to only superintend over trunk roads. But we have witnessed that over two decades, roads were neglected when it comes to locations.
“And his Excellency said we cannot continue watching, we have to go down to the grassroots and attend to the roads. And today we are witnessing this magnificent infrastructure rehabilitation programme, which is not intended to actually buttress the issues to do with the elections that are before us. But we are saying you see this kind of work going on. And what we have done, a deliberate ploy in the Ministry, is to say all the roads that are leading from the great city right into the locations, this is what we are doing. And you will see that this road, it will navigate towards 12th Road, then those who know the marketplace, where they do their furniture, in Area 8, and we will move it to the intersection of Simon Mazorodze and Willowvale roads. So, we are taking this road right up to Simon Mazorodze Road.”
He assured residents in Glen View and surrounding areas that the Government’s efforts are not merely political gimmicks but genuine commitments to improving infrastructure.
The Mbudzi Interchange project is being funded through local financial institutions and executed by a joint venture of three local construction firms, namely, Tensor Systems, Fossil Contracting, and Masimba Construction.
Minister Mhona also mentioned progress on other major road projects, including the Harare-Beitbridge Highway, which is close to completion, and upcoming constructions on roads linking provinces, such as the Nhakiwa-Manyika-Muswe-Mutoko Road.
As construction progresses, the ministry has informed the public about upcoming road closures along Simon Mazorodze Road, effective from March 27, 2025. Detours will be established to ensure minimal disruption to traffic flow, and the ministry has urged road users to comply with traffic signs and co-operate with traffic controllers.
Minister Mhona reassured the public of the Government’s commitment to resolving road infrastructure challenges throughout the country.
