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Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
MOST roads around Mount Hampden, the site of the new city just outside Harare, have been completed and opened to traffic after they were reconstructed with focus now shifting to residential areas, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said yesterday.
The major roads linking Harare to Mt Hampden, which is already home to the new multi-million-dollar Parliament Building, are being expanded at a rapid pace with the Government expressing satisfaction over the quality of work by contractors.
Yesterday, Government re-opened to traffic a 5km stretch of Nemakonde Way, formerly Lomagundi Road, in Harare, which was under construction and with the dual carriageway extended for the whole length of the stretch from Sam Nujoma Street Extension to Harare Drive, making the road complete up to the Westgate Traffic Circle.
Motorists and residents hailed the Government for the work done on the roads.
Minister Mhona, his deputy Joshua Sacco, Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution Charles Tawengwa, Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport Infrastructural Development chairperson Cde Knowledge Kaitano and other senior Government officials, attended the opening of the road.
In an interview, Minister Mhona said Government would continue rehabilitating roads countrywide to ensure no place was left behind.
“When we started this project of road rehabilitation, people were doubting that we were having a summit before us and whether we were going to complete the project to connect to the new city,” he said.
“I am glad to say to the people of Zimbabwe, together as a team we have managed to accomplish this major milestone.
“As we speak, from Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, we have our VVIP Pavilion which is 100 percent complete, ready to host our VVIP delegates.”
Many other roads from the airport to the CBD via Braeside, have been completed.
Minister Mhona thanked President Mnangagwa for availing resources under difficult circumstances to finance the projects.
“You will see us progressing with that kind of work ethic that you witnessed. And SADC is coming and it’s going but you will see us heavily on our roads. To the people of Zimbabwe and in particular greater Harare where we were having detours, we are going to rehabilitate and bring to the state-of-the-art, our roads”.
In other provinces, Minister Mhona said the Ministry was doing a mapping exercise with a view to attending to the “emotional roads”.
Minister Tawengwa said during the construction of Nemakonde Way, everyone was inconvenienced but residents and all road users exhibited admirable patience and stoicism.
“This momentous occasion marks not just the completion of a vital infrastructure project but also a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to enhance connectivity, stimulate economic growth, and improve the quality of life for our citizens.
“This is well in line with the aspirations of His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa, that of leaving no one and no place behind.
“Nemakonde Way represents more than just a route connecting Harare to surrounding regions. It embodies our commitment to building a robust and resilient infrastructure network that supports trade, drives regional development, and fosters community integration in fulfillment of Vision 2030 and Agenda 2063 aspirations,” he said.
Last week, Government re-opened a 6,5km stretch along Sam Nujoma Street Extension to traffic after its reconstruction.
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