TRANSPORT and Infrastructural Development minister Felix Mhona has been taken to task over the government’s slow approach to rehabilitating the deteriorating Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway.
Hwange East legislator Joseph Bonda this week posed a question regarding the state of the road during a session in Parliament.
“The minister touched on almost all the roads, but I want to remind him that there is this road from Victoria Falls to Beitbridge, maybe if he had actually touched on it, even if there are some other arrangements that are (there),” Bonda said.
In his response, Mhona admitted that the question had been asked before, adding that it does not mean that the roads which he mentioned were the only important ones that needed attention.
“My apologies, that route is very important because that accommodates a lot of international delegates,” the minister responded.
“We have a very important meeting which will be held this year. I spoke focusing in this area in Mashonaland Central but, if I simply sit down without mentioning it, people will say I did not mention it.”
Added Mhona: “We go to Mukumbura Border Post, that is the same route which leads us Mozambique. If we focus on Midlands, or Chikwalakwala, or Gweru, if I mention any of those areas, others will say ‘why didn’t you mention up to the border post?’.
“Those are some of the roads that we have in the pipeline. We have close to 760km from Beitbridge to Bulawayo, then from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls.”
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He said he was happy that there is a company which is working on those roads.
“We mentioned that they are working together with a certain company, we agreed that the company should concentrate on the worst affected areas,” Mhona said.
“(On the) 760km stretch, the worst areas are Hwange to Victoria Falls, Lupane to Bulawayo. Those are the areas which are actually affected.
“We have a company which is going to resume its duties in repairing all those roads.”
He added: “All those roads which are slightly damaged, they (the company) will simply repair them. Our aim is to expand the whole road from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls.
“We are (also) going to start from Kwekwe, going to Lupane, Silobela, Lupane, Nkayi and so on. Those are some of the big roads which people are worried about.
“Do not despair, I might have omitted some names of places. Other people from Mashonaland West might (want the) Binga-Cross Dete (road fixed), then we link it with the route to Bulawayo.”
