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Sikhumbuzo Moyo-Senior Zimpapers Reporter
GOVERNMENT has secured a loan facility to finance the rehabilitation of the 240-kilometre Kwekwe-Nkayi-Lupane Highway and is targeting to have the project completed by the end of next year.
Once complete, the road will reduce the distance from Harare to Lupane and cut the distance to Victoria Falls by over 200km.
Farmers from the two districts of Nkayi and Lupane are also expected to save more, as the cost of taking their produce to the markets, either in Bulawayo or Kwekwe, will no longer be prohibitive.
Speaking at a recent question-and-answer session in Parliament, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said his ministry had secured a loan specifically to rehabilitate the Lupane-Kwekwe Road.
“That road is very important because it cuts across; it is a shorter route for those who are going to Victoria Falls. We have got a loan facility, which we have managed to secure, and the money is going to be used for the rehabilitation of that road, which is 240km,” said Minister Mhona.
He said two construction teams would be roped in to execute the rehabilitation project, with one starting from Kwekwe, and that the new road design was expected to be out in the next few days.
Minister Mhona said after the completion of the project, the teams would then proceed to the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, which is another priority road.
“We have enough resources for the rehabilitation of the road. Be patient until 2026, when most of the work will be done from Kwekwe to Lupane,” said Minister Mhona.
In another development, Minister Mhona accused some local authorities of diverting funds meant for road rehabilitation to salaries, something which has left most roads in a deplorable state.
He said to counter that, the Government was demanding acquittals from local authorities, which show how the money allocated to them by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) was used.
Any local authority that fails to provide that acquittal will not receive any funding.
“Sometimes when the money is allocated to councils, they use that money for salaries and not for road rehabilitation,” said Minister Mhona.
“I thank the Government; right now, ZINARA is mobilising all the funds and putting them in one pot. They then choose the roads that need to be refurbished, and every three months, we are going to notify the House and Zimbabweans as to how much money is being allocated to each council.”
The minister said councils must return the papers that clearly show they used the money for the intended purpose of road rehabilitation.
If they fail to use the money for road rehabilitation and do not complete the acquittal, the ministry will not disburse any funds without an acquittal. This position has seen some councils failing to request money from ZINARA, said Minister Mhona.
Meanwhile, the Government is considering taking over the management of all roads from local authorities as part of measures to address the widespread dilapidation of the country’s road network.
Minister Mhona told the Senate recently that his ministry was seeking to assume control of main roads, trunk roads, and all roads within cities and towns currently under the purview of city councils and rural district councils.
The proposal, which would require Parliamentary approval, was presented as a solution to poor coordination, shoddy workmanship, and a lack of engineering expertise at the local level.
He said consolidating road management under a single national department would ensure faster and more efficient responses to road maintenance challenges.
Peter Tanyanyiwa