ISSUES of human wildlife conflict continue to hog the limelight for both the right and wrong reasons with no end in sight amid calls for harmonious co-existence between human beings and animals.
However, Yours Truly has decided to temporarily shelve this topical subject matter, as he revists the status of Bulawayo — Victoria Falls which is currently in dire need of redemption as it is gradually becoming an anathema to the travelling and touring world.
This particular highway is a major route to one of the country's premier tourist attraction places — the mighty Victoria Falls, which is a perennial favourite to both local and foreign visitors.
The activities in this tourist city are not limited to sight seeing of this World Heritage Site, but other related activities such as adrenaline-inducing bungee jumping, absailing, white water rafting, elephant rides, village tours and game drives among others.
The above mentioned activities are a testimony to the importance of rehabilitating this particular road as part of efforts on complementing the country's tourism industry.
The highway is also a vital trade route on the regional north-to-south corridor, linking Zimbabwe with South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia including Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Yours Truly has in the past written various articles on the need to repair or rehabilitate this particular highway which according to experts seems to have outlived its life mainly caused due to the influx of heavy duty vehicles.
Road users have in the past been clamouring to responsible authorities to spare a thought interms of promoting the tourism industry which is gradually on the rise from the the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Below are some of the comments retrieved from some social media platforms discussing the current status of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway:
"This Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road should be declared a national disaster and a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the the 7th Wonder of the World, that is, Victoria Falls spectacle. I do appeal to all stakeholders private and public to re ignite the rehabilitation urgently."
"What if we got 10 contractors and they rehabilitate the road within a month by each doing a 5Okm stretch simultaneously."
"Those mines in Hwange and Binga can avail tar, quarry stones, Zambezi water is a stone throw away, coal ash, Whange/Binga/Lupane has labour for days, bricks manufacturing is rife in the area."
"As your urban chief what if every 100 km stretch is “owned” by the community. It develops that stretch, maintains that stretch, put a toll plaza and share revenue with government. Isn’t that a win-win situation?"
"It's a good idea, but masero baja bali 2 faced, ikankala right bayamba kuti Zimbabwean roads are state-owned, nsoro zankona nizoyuma."
"Let’s restore this road to a better state and once we are done we need all road cargo to go onto those NRZ wagons forthwith."
Till we meet again in the next column.
*Comments always welcome at: dubebasill@gmail.com or X@DubeBurzil