THE Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development has been hit by fresh scandals which has sent shockwaves in the corridors of power.
By Staff Reporter
The ministry is alleged to have given a Chinese company a contract to build a $1 billion bridge across the Gwayi River near Hwange without going to tender.
Revelations coming through show that the bridge was constructed in total secrecy and in record time, but the poor workmanship is already evident as part of it was flooded over during recent rains.
“We awarded the contract in fulfilment of our ‘Look East’ policy and we didn’t doubt the contractor’s credentials,” a government spokesman said yesterday.
When a NewsDay crew visited the Gwayi River site yesterday, it was amazed to find part of the bridge had collapsed following heavy rains that hit the area over the weekend. The plans for the bridge were also curious as a total of five bridges were constructed.
Four bridges imitate the designs of the other bridges in this country, including a replica of the world-famous Birchenough Bridge spanning Save River in the east of the country.
The fifth bridge is very similar to a modern bridge in New Zealand. Tunnels and roads connect these bridges.
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When NewsDay challenged the construction company about the necessity to build five bridges when one would have sufficed, the contractors pointed out that no such specifications were given in the contract, either by size, design or number of bridges.
The contractor said they had been given only one condition, namely that “appropriate tarmac access roads to the crossing points be included in the project”. “This seems to indicate more than one bridge,” the contractor said.
