The ManicaPost
THE completion of the second phase of the Tanganda-Ngundu road rehabilitation project is ample evidence of Government’s commitment to improve the ease of doing business as well as livelihoods in communities around the country.
Of late, Government has committed over $1 billion for road construction and rehabilitation with various projects underway across the country under the 2019 Road Development Programme.
Funding for this flagship project, which is the biggest road project in 20 years, is being mobilised from the two percent Intermediated Money Transfer Tax as well as the Zimbabwe National Road Administration Infrastructure Bond, as President Mnangagwa’s administration pursues its development trajectory.
According to the 2019 Infrastructure Plan released by Treasury last year, the rehabilitation of the roads through private-public-partnerships has been difficult, hence the switch to seek financing from the domestic market.
The initial target is to complete 20km for each road every year until completion.
Given the developments on the ground like the completion of the second phase of Tanganda-Ngundu road rehabilitation, it is beyond reproach that Government’s commendable efforts to weed out corrupt officials at the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) are evidently starting to bear fruit as proceeds are now being channelled where they ought to go.
The 100km stretch of the Tanganda-Ngundu road, from Tanganda Halt to Checheche Business Centre, had become a death-trap to motorists while dust raised by vehicles had also become a health ticking time bomb for villagers living along that busy highway.
With the Department of Roads as an implementation partner and Bitument World Pvt Ltd as the contractor, the 54km stretch of the second phase of the Tanganda-Ngundu road reconstruction, which started on February 15, has been completed well before the anticipated time-frame.
That roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits cannot be re-emphasised.
In addition, providing access to employment, social, health and education services makes a road network crucial in fighting against poverty.
The targeted roads, under the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme being implemented through the Department of Roads provincial road engineers in each province, have an estimated cost of US$542 million.
Apart from Tanganda-Ngundu, in Manicaland there is also Nyamangura Bridge, Murambinda-Birchenough, Nyanga-Ruwangwe, Odzi and Marange-Zviripiri roads under the spotlight.
Some of the roads monitored include the Harare-Mutare Road dualisation (5,5km), Goromonzi Turnoff-Tollgate, Bindura-Shamva (4,4 km), Harare-Bulawayo Road dualisation (9km), and Norton Turnoff-Tollgate.
In collaboration with relevant authorities, IDBZ is planning to get involved in the preparation and construction of the Chitungwiza-Harare Rail link and play an advisory role on the following road expansion projects: Harare-Nyamapanda, Bulawayo-Victoria Falls, Mutare-Christmas Pass, Kwekwe-Silobela-Nkayi-Lupane and New Victoria Falls Bridge.
It is in this context that we applaud Government for its efforts in improving the road network system in the country that had become a victim of more than three decades of failed policies of the previous administration.
The cost of repairing or constructing these roads is huge and given other responsibilities that the country’s central authority has in its hands, it is only commendable that Government has managed to walk the talk in efforts to rehabilitate roads around the country.
As we now celebrate the completion of the second phase of the Tanganda-Ngundu road rehabilitation, we remain hopeful that other roads in Manicaland and beyond will soon go through major rehabilitation works.
