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Michael Magoronga Midlands Bureau
Kwekwe City Council has been challenged by Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube to come up with a work plan to repair the city’s damaged road network.
He made the remarks after a tour of the city’s roads, most of which are riddled with potholes.
Minister Ncube has been assessing the road network in the province to check on the extent of damage and explore ways of dealing with this.
He challenged Kwekwe City Council to immediately roll out a clear programme to address the road network.
“The Infrastructure and Utilities Thematic Working Group chaired by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development must immediately convene with the City of Kwekwe and all relevant private entities to mobilise resources for pothole patching.
“The Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) provincial committee must also immediately undertake monitoring visits to local authorities and proffer advice on the implementation of the programme,” he said.
Minister Ncube urged private companies to work closely with the local authority to help repair the damaged roads.
“It is sad to note that heavy trucks and machinery are damaging our road network which was not primarily designed for heavy traffic. It is, therefore, the collective responsibility of road authorities and corporates to ensure maintenance and rehabilitation of roads to complement Government efforts,” he said. Minister Ncube said illegal mining activities were also contributing to the collapse of roads and called on law enforcement agencies to clamp down on culprits.
“Kwekwe is endowed with abundant mineral resources. However, it is sad to note that sewer lines, buildings and road networks are being destroyed by illegal mining. I, thus, implore Kwekwe to join hands with law enforcement agencies to enforce environmental by-laws in their areas of jurisdiction to safeguard critical infrastructure,” he said.
Minister Ncube called on all local authorities in the Midlands to ensure they do everything in their power to improve service delivery and all stakeholders to contribute towards boosting the provincial and national gross domestic product.
“To this end, the central Government is leading by example by selling President Mnangagwa’s vision through several signature projects. In the same vein, all funds channelled to road authorities should be directed towards road maintenance, rehabilitation, expansion and upgrading.
“This should also include traffic management through installation of traffic lights, proper signage and construction of modern roundabouts,” said Minister Ncube.
At the moment, Kwekwe City Council is battling poor sewer reticulation due to vandalism at the plant and has inadequate vending stalls resulting in vendors occupying any free areas.
Kwekwe also does not have free, functional public toilets and a proper solid waste management system, which requires enhancement through additional refuse compactors and an approved landfill, said Minister Ncube.
Kwekwe mayor, Councillor Albert Zinhanga, pleaded with the Government to intervene and help them in repairing roads.
“Surely, we are having problems with our roads and we seriously need the Government to intervene. Your intervention is expected to help us in a big way,” he said.
During a recent full council meeting, councillors proposed to introduce a road levy whose proceeds would be channelled towards the rehabilitation of roads.
Online Reporter