“While we are grateful for all development projects initiated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the second republic such as Hwange Unit 7 and 8, Lupane State University development, progress at the Welshman Mabhena government complex and the Lake Gwayi Shangani, among others in the province, we are being let down by our road network.”
This was said by Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister, Richard Moyo early this year when he made an appeal to various stakeholders on need to look at ways on how the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway can be rehabilitated from hazardous pot holes among others.
The minister’s plight came at a time when Bitumen World, the road contractor withdrew most equipment over non-payment of services rendered after having resurfaced sizeable kilometres of the road much to the chagrin of travelling public.
He also promised to make a follow up with the Transport ministry as well as Treasury on the need to speed up rehabilitation of this important highway which is also gateway to the country’s prime tourist destination.
Other roads that are in dire need of attention such as Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road, and the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, among others were also mentioned.
Yours Truly has also in the past wrote various articles on status of the above mentioned roads whose condition continues to be a thorn and cause for concern to the travelling public.
When Bitumen World came on board last year, there was a lot of optimism and enthusiasm from various stakeholders who were of the view that road network challenges were soon going to be a thing of the past.
However, it now back to old settings as far destination feasibility among other.
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The other mentioned highways are not an exception and Yourmovements as also joined the bandwagon on clamouring for a holistic on trying to bring sanity to pothole menace which is somehow proving to be a dent in the country’s tourism industry.
The Bulawayo-Nkayi Road does need any form of introduction as far as its maintenance is concerned. This backs date to several decades ago whose slow progress has resulted in some public transporters withdrawing from the lucrative route.
The same also applies to Bulawayo-Tsholotsho route, which has resulted in some boarding schools situated along the highway advising parents during traditional school visits on status of the road in terms of safeguarding their vehicles.
Kudos to a few Chinese companies in Hwange who heeded the provincial minister’s clarion call on playing a pivotal role towards road maintenance as part of ploughing back to the community as part of corporate social responsibility.
However, their endeavours seem to have reached a legendary dead end as other entities (including big ones) are not playing ball hence procrastination on the whole exercise.
It is now back to the drawing board as far as the pothole menace is concerned.
Another aspect, which has taken the province’s transportation industry by storm is the increasing number of company executives who now prefer ‘parking’ their expensive cars in favour of long distances buses some who are popularly known as ‘chicken buses’.
This has been necessitated by continued increase of pothole menace compounded by poor state of most highways hence the need for cheaper mode of transportation.
What goes around comes around?
Till we meet again in the next column.
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