ON a late Thursday afternoon, commuters on the Kadoma-Sanyati Road make their way to rural outskirts.
They make headway snaking on the dusty roads punctuated with curves and potholes as they navigate what looks like neglected farmland road strips.
Sadly, some passengers risk their lives as they are patched on roof tops of pirate taxis.
“There are no regular buses here and some transporters have abandoned the route due to a poor road network.
“It’s a disgrace that these roads have been neglected since independence,’’ says Donald Rupasa, a kombi driver.
In Sanyati, Mashonaland West province, poor road network caused a public outcry that has not been attended to.
Businessman James Mudaka of Chegutu said the poor roads were a cause of concern.
“The Chegutu-Mubaira Road is in a bad state and it needs special attention. It is so bad from Chegutu up to Mubaira which has seen most farmers around Mubaira preferring to go to Harare to going to their nearest town Chegutu because the road is full of portholes,” he said.
- Poor road network cause for concern in Sanyati
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“Kadoma road connecting Mhondoro-Ngezi via Etina is currently under maintenance by a grader from Mhondoro-Ngezi Rural District Council.”
Another villager Edward Murata said the Battlefields-Turfy Road was in a “fair state” where travellers can use it better than the Sanyati-Kadoma Road.
“Patchway-Sanyati route needs urgent attention as it is one of the worst roads and has never been attended to for a long time,” Murata said.
He said the Sanyati growth point (Nyamatani) via Vheri part was recently regravelled.
“Unfortunately, it is quickly deteriorating due to lack of maintenance. Other connecting routes are in poor state due to inadequate maintenance.
“We hope Binga-Gokwe Highway for commercial purposes will change for the better. It must start off at Renje bridge and later Sanyati bridge that connect to Gokwe Nembudziya, Goredema bridge and Sasame bridge. All these need serious attention,” Mudaka said.
Recently, Mashonaland West Proportional Representative MP Mutsa Murombedzi grilled Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Felix Mhona in Parliament on progress on the resurfacing of the Harare-Mhondoro and Mubaira-Chegutu roads.
However, Transport and Infrastructural Development deputy minister Joshua Sacco said Chegutu-Mubaira-Skyline is a secondary road that traverses and connects Chegutu and Mhondoro-Ngezi districts in Mashonaland West province.
“The road is 104km which is predominantly gravel with 2km from Chegutu and 7km from Mubaira business centre surfaced.
“My ministry carried out spot gravelling and maintenance between the 66km and 86km peg in 2021. Furthermore, in 2022 motorised grading was carried out between 90km and 103km peg to improve traffic’s ability to travel on the gravel road,” Sacco said.
He said to date, the ministry has constructed a 3x4 square metre culvert bridge across Svisva River at the 104km peg where previously there was no bridge.
Murombedzi, however, said she wanted clarification on the preparations for the resurfacing of that road before the onset of the rainy season.
“We have taken onboard your concerns. Allow us to remain committed that the road in question is part of the ministry priority and action will be taken without a timeline,” Sacco said.
