Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) on Friday donated an assortment of medical consumables and 10 wheelchairs valued at US$22,000 to support healthcare services at Beitbridge District Hospital.
The 170-bed hospital serves a local population of 250,000 as well as an additional 13,000 people passing through the town daily along the African Union’s North to South corridor, including residents from neighbouring districts such as Gwanda, Mberengwa, and Mwenezi.
In addition, medical staff handle an average of 350 baby deliveries monthly, some requiring caesarean operations that depend on adequate water supplies.
Speaking on behalf of ZINARA’s executive and board, the Administration and Human Resources Director, Mr
Gilfern Moyo, said the donation was part of their social responsibility flagship initiative, “Project We Care.”
“Through ‘Project We Care,’ we have embarked on a life-changing endeavour to give back to the communities we are privileged to serve, and Beitbridge Hospital is the third hospital this year benefiting from this programme,” he said.
“While our key mandate at ZINARA is road fund administration, we are mindful that roads do not exist in isolation from the wider socio-economic ecosystem that defines communities. As roads connect people, goods, and services, they also connect lives and enhance livelihoods.
“It is against this rationale that we realise the need to extend our footprint beyond infrastructure towards social impact. It is our desire that travellers are safe on our roads; however, when accidents do happen, it is important to have robust healthcare facilities that can provide the necessary help to save and preserve life. This is what Project We Care seeks to achieve.”
Matabeleland South’s Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, praised ZINARA’s gesture as a powerful demonstration of compassion, shared responsibility, and recognition that a nation’s well-being is built on more than infrastructure alone.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Edward Mandeya, Director of Finance, Administration, and Human Resources in his office, the minister noted that the donation carried profound significance for Beitbridge Hospital, which is not only a district hospital but also a key health hub serving thousands of people crossing the border daily.
He said the initiative stood as a strong example of how strategic partnerships in one sector can create tangible, life-changing benefits in another, truly embodying the spirit of holistic national development.
“ZINARA, as we know, is mandated to administer road funds on behalf of road authorities. This unique gesture reminds us that development is multidimensional. It is not only measured in kilometres of tarred road or modernized plazas but equally in the health, dignity, and resilience of our people,” said Minister Nguluvhe.
