Manyame RDC partners Zinara

Lovemore Meya Herald Correspondent
Manyame Rural District Council (MRDC) has partnered the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) to spruce up its service centres through rehabilitating its road network. The project, valued at $500 000, will cover a 4,5km stretch and is expected to be completed by March next year.

MRDC chief executive Mrs Farirai Guta said the exercise would benefit business.
“We have started reconstructing roads at all our four service centres in partnership with Zinara. The project is being funded by Zinara and so far we started with Guzha Centre, popularly known as Chikwanha. We are doing the project in phases and it is our hope that the first centre should be complete by end of October. After Guzha, we will go to Beatrice, Dema and Murisa.However, Murisa will be the last point to be attended to because there is a lot of work which we need do, like creating roads,” said Ms Guta. MRDC engineer Benjamin Bara said most of their projects were being held back by resource constraints.

“We have used around $120 000 covering a total of 1,5km and we are now about to put tar at Guzha Centre,” he said. We completed earthwork, putting gravel and we are about to do resurfacing. The whole project may cost around $500 000 to complete and we are now left with 3km. Zinara is funding the project although the funds are being staggered. As council, we engaged a contractor on surfacing after we had used our resources amounting to $50 000 on earth work. If the funds were permitting, we should have completed the project by end of December, but it will go to around March next year.” Residents and businesspeople from Chitungwiza and Manyame rural communities welcomed the council’s initiative, saying it will positively impact on their businesses.

“This exercise will not only spruce up the image of the service centre, but also increase our business prospects and viability as some clients might have been shunning the centre owing to the poor road network, among other causes,” said one businessperson only identified as Mr Moyo. A team from the Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural Residents Association (CAMERA) recently toured Guzha business centre to witness the current works.

“We recommend MRDC to also give comparable attention to the entire road network in Manyame rural instead of focusing on roads at service centres only,” said CAMERA spokesperson, Mr Marvellous Kumalo.

“Several newly established residential suburbs in Manyame rural do not have appropriately designed roads, while some (roads) are in a deplorable state. This makes it difficult for some motorists to access their homes while public transport operators may face challenges in navigating through during the rainy season.”