Presidential nod for Beitbridge- Chirundu highway upgrade

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Joram Gumbo (in grey suit) and Minister of State for National Security (in khaki hat) Kembo Mohadi assess the damage to the Lutumba-Tshikwalakwala Road in Beitbridge East Constituency at the weekend. Minister Mohadi is the MP for the constituency while Minister Gumbo is on a countrywide tour of roads and railway facilities ahead of the grain distribution initiative by the government

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
THE government will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with a new contractor to expedite the dualisation of the 900km Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Road, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Joram Gumbo, has said.

He said his Ministry has been granted permission by President Robert Mugabe to implement the project that will see over 300 people living along the highway being engaged for various jobs as a matter of urgency.

Gumbo said when the President appointed him, he emphasised the need to attend to the highway to boost regional trade.

“Negotiations with the funders and the contractor are at the concluding stage and we hope to sign a memorandum of understanding soon.

“The State Procurement Board (SPB) has also given us the green light to award the tender to the identified contractor which we will announce soon,” he said.

Gumbo said the project would be implemented over five years and construction will be done in five segments.

He said Zimhighways Consortium, which is made up of 14 construction firms including Murray & Roberts, Costain Africa, Kuchi Building Construction, Tarcon, Bitcon, Joina Development Company and Southland Engineers, was awarded the tender for the dualisation of the highway in 2003 before it was withdrawn a decade later.

“As you’re aware the legal wrangle between Zimhighways which had won the tender to work on the road is over and has opened room for us to engage another contractor. We will also sub-contract many of the local companies for other jobs and source material locally except for those items which are not available in the country,” Gumbo said.

“They (Zimhighways) agreed to withdraw the court case after negotiations and guarantees that we will sub contract local contractors in implementing the project.”

He said South Africa, Botswana and Zambia are planning to construct another road along the Kazungula route and Zimbabwe stands to lose in terms of trade if it does not attend to the dualisation of its road as a matter of urgency.