Matebeleland Pulse Reporter
Government says rehabilitation works on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road are expected to resume in August after construction stalled along sections of the major route linking Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Victoria Falls.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona told Parliament on Wednesday that contractors working on the 440-kilometre Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road would be mobilised again as Government pushes to increase the pace of rehabilitation.
The road came under scrutiny in Parliament after legislators raised concerns over stalled construction along sections between Bulawayo and Lupane, Lupane and Jotsholo, and further towards Hwange.
“Nothing is happening on that road now,” the legislator said, describing the situation towards Hwange as complete abandonment.
Mhona said Government had engaged eight contractors on the road, with each responsible for approximately 50 kilometres.
He said some sections had already been completed, including about nine kilometres that had recently been opened to traffic after rehabilitation and the redirection of motorists through a new section.
The Minister attributed delays partly to inadequate funding, noting that the national roads allocation was insufficient to finance the entire Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road project on its own.
He said Government was therefore exploring additional financing models, including public-private partnerships and loan facilities.
“We are saying this is one of the roads that we have earmarked and now we have funding to continue the works,” Mhona told Parliament.
He said motorists should expect “massive rehabilitation” as the country moves towards August, with contractors returning to their respective sections.
The condition of the road has implications beyond motorists and freight operators, as the route is an important connection to Victoria Falls, one of Zimbabwe’s major tourism destinations.
During the parliamentary debate, legislator Hon. Mapfumo specifically linked the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road to tourism, saying improvements to the route would complement the country’s tourism sector.
The Government has also said contractors are required to maintain sections of roads that have not yet reached the main reconstruction stage, including areas with potholes and difficult detours.
Mhona said each contractor is responsible for maintaining the section allocated to them while rehabilitation progresses.
For communities and businesses along the Bulawayo-Lupane-Hwange-Victoria Falls corridor, the latest commitment now puts the focus on whether contractors will return as promised and whether rehabilitation will be sustained.
