Transport operators decry bad state of roads in Beitbridge

Fitzgerald Sibanda said they were now appealing to Government to intervene.
He said most roads especially those leading to Tshikwalakwala, Zezani, Shashe and Masera were in a bad state.
Mr Sibanda said some of the members were being forced to pull out of most routes because it had become expensive to maintain their fleets servicing those routes.
He said they had tried to repair some of the roads as an association with little success.
“We are very much worried with the bad road network. This is affecting both transporters and travellers. You will note that some of our members have stopped servicing certain routes because of the bad roads.
“It has become expensive for most of us to maintain our fleet. As an association we are calling on Government to intervene as a matter of urgency and repair or upgrade the major roads in the districts.” he said.
The worst affected areas are Tshikwalakwala, Makombe, Tshaswingo, Dite, Chabili, Shashe, Limpopo, Toporo, Masera, Zezani and Mpande.
Mr Sibanda said in some instances they were forced to revise their fares up for their businesses to remain viable.
On average it costs between R40 and R60 for the furthest journey in the district by public transport.
Private motorists charge between R100 and R150 for a similar journey.
There are over 35 transporters operating around the district but most of them have been forced to ground their vehicles due to the poor road network.
Transport woes have become a regular problem in Beitbridge as most of the roads were badly damaged by the Cyclone Eline induced rains.
Beitbridge District Administrator, Mr Simon Muleya, made a similar appeal recently where he said the bad state of the roads was affecting grain movement. 
“The villagers are suffering especially those staying in the most remote parts of the districts. We also have challenges in distributing grain to most parts of the district due to the bad condition of the roads.
“Plans have been in the pipeline for some time for the tarring of the road leading from Lutumba business centre to Tshikwalakwala but nothing has materialised due to the unavailability of funds.
“You will realise that most of these roads are not traversable during the rainy season.
“As the Rural District Development Committee (RDDC) we have been trying to repair most of the roads as most of them need to redone completely,” he said.