admin
Taurai Mangudhla in Masvingo
Government and Geiger International are expected to meet all preconditions set to kick-start dualisation of the $1 billion Harare-Beitbridge Highway by end of September, a senior Government official has said.
Geiger International is an Australian firm that won the tender to construct the massive project expected to take at least three years. Director for roads operations in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development Engineer Kudzanai Chinyanga, told The Herald Business on the side-lines of a Construction Industry Federation of Zimbabwe (Cifoz) annual general meeting and congress in Masvingo yesterday that work on key infrastructure is expected to commence soon.
“One of these conditions is exemption on taxes and duties on equipment that is coming in because if that doesn’t come, it means the cost is the agreed amount, plus taxes,” said Eng Chinyanga who was standing in for Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo.
“Then there is also need to appoint an independent engineer who looks at the quality of the work, the designs and costing of the work. We are hoping to clear this by end of September, but this is not holding up work,” Eng Chinyanga said.
Although the discussions are still ongoing, progress is being made on the project with contractor already mobilising human resources, setting up offices in the country and bringing equipment ahead of commencement of the project.
“Their main contractor has been tasked to set up main offices in Masvingo, which is the mid-point of the highway. There will be sub offices along the way and local authorities will be working with contractors to set this up,” he said.
Government has negotiated for 40 percent of the work on the project to be given to locals. However, Geiger has control of the process.
“There will be some technical competition and Geiger has to share with us which criteria they are going to use or tender if there is going to be a tender, but we are not yet there. Where we are is that we are finalising conditions precedent which are conditions Government and Geiger must meet before they start work.”
In an update of the emergency road rehabilitation project, Eng Chinyanga said about $60 million had been allocated to local authorities as of last Friday.
“The first phase was completed in May and we started on the second phase. We faced challenges in the project because some of the contractors had inadequate equipment or old equipment which kept breaking down.”
Online Reporter