adminProsper Dembedza Herald Reporter
Dema residents and motorists who frequent the area are up in arms against the erection of a tollgate at the 32km peg on the Harare-Hwedza Road, saying it is not only expensive but inconveniencing them.
Worst affected are people who work in Harare and commuter omnibus operators who ply the route.
Many people are now using a gravel road that skirts the tollgate to avoid paying the US$1 toll fee several times daily.
The tollgate was supposed to have been built at least 40km from Harare, like other tollgates, but is now essentially in a residential area and is dividing suburbs.
“How can I pay US$2 just to buy a loaf of bread from the local shops at Ziko which are only 2km away from my home.
“We are appealing to Government to intervene so that this tollgate is shifted to its correct position,” lamented one resident.
“We have resorted to using the nearby dust road because we feel this is daylight robbery to us. We now have to pay US$2 for every trip from Makoni to Dema. How much will be left in our pockets at the end of the day?” asked another.
Zimbabwe National Road Administration corporate communications manager Mr Augustine Moyo yesterday defended the tollgate’s location.
“The location of that tollgate was not agreed by a single person but it was agreed by Government and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development. That’s why its construction was published in the Government Gazette,” he said.
Online Reporter