BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) says it has used nearly US$2 million to rehabilitate some city roads in an exercise aimed at improving the road network in Zimbabwe’s second largest city.
The road rehabilitation programme consists of reconstruction, resurfacing, reinstating of carriageway marks and general maintenance.
BCC corporate communications manager Nesisa Mpofu revealed the developments through a statistical graph showing the number of roads the city has rehabilitated.
“The city has used US$1 927 800 with three roads having reached 100% completion and three roads at 90% complete,” Mpofu said.
She said the local authority hoped to rehabilitate 13 roads around the city this year.
“Roads to be rehabilitated in 2024 include Murchison Road, Luveve 5 roads, Herbert Chitepo Street, Fort Street, Maduma Drive, Luveve Road, 2nd Avenue/Lob Street, Batch Street Market link road, Leeds Street, Plumtree Road and Woodville Road at an estimated cost of US$7 947 000,” Mpofu said.
Bulawayo mayor David Coltart says the local authority needed a minimum of US$15 million per year to maintain its road network which deteriorates each rainfall season when heavy rains pound the ageing infrastructure.
Coltart said the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) was not disbursing enough funds to council to refurbish city roads.
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“Our major problem is that Zinara have paid us a pittance of what we need and also a pittance of what is paid by Bulawayo motorists to it, through car licence fees.
“There is fundamental inequity. We need a minimum of US$15 million per annum just to maintain our roads. Last year, we received US$800 000 from Zinara paid in RTGS at the official rate,” Coltart said.
Zinara, the parastatal responsible for road management, maintenance and development of the country’s national road network, collects millions of dollars from road users, but there is little to show for it amid claims that most of the funds are reportedly being misappropriated.
In 2021, the government launched the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) after President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the country’s roads a national disaster.
The ERRP focuses on urgent repairs and rehabilitation of roads across the country.
