The ManicaPost
GOVERNMENT is moving with speed in rehabilitating the country’s road network after recently declaring all roads a State of Disaster to enable resource mobilisation.
In Manicaland, there is a ray of hope after the District Development Fund (DDF) launched the emergency road repair programme in Buhera early this week.
While more than 49 roads in rural Manicaland are in urgent need of repair, the Nyazvidzi parallel road in Buhera was the first to benefit from the $40 million that was released by the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara).
Road maintenance — which is a mandate for local authorities through Zinara’s funding — has been neglected for long and Government has taken it upon itself to intervene.
Various roads across the country have now become death traps for the travelling public, especially following the incessant rains that have been pounding the country for the last couple of months.
Sadly, the lack of adequate road infrastructure is one of the major factors hampering provincial development as inaccessible areas are cut off from the mainstream economic maze.
Manicaland province has a total rural road network of 4 205km. However, due to use and time, this road infrastructure has aged. Even in areas that still looks acceptable on the surface, significant problems might be lying just below. As a result, the road infrastructure requires urgent maintenance, renewal and modernisation. So far, only 1 307 km of the province’s road network has been assessed. According to the DDF’s assessment, rehabilitation of those roads require $120 million. However, the assessment is ongoing and the required figure could increase significantly as approximately 95 percent of the entire road network is in a deplorable state.
This means multitudes of people in the affected areas are not able to access health and education facilities, while they struggle to fully participate in the development of the economy as they are cut off from their suppliers and markets.
Improved road networks will therefore bring many benefits for local communities through improved social interaction and mobility.
Roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits as 90 percent of transportation in Africa is done by road. Good roads are therefore vital in growing the provincial economy, especially in line with the devolution agenda and Vision 2030.
In addition, providing access to employment, social, health and education services makes a good road network crucial in fighting against poverty. Roads open up more areas and stimulate economic and social development.
Adequately maintaining road infrastructure is essential in preserving and enhancing those benefits. But a backlog of outstanding maintenance has caused irreversible deterioration of the road network.
It is unfortunate that while Zinara has been religiously disbursing road maintenance funds to local authorities, most of the funds have gone unaccounted for, while roads have been going from bad to worse. Due to the insufficient preventive maintenance of the province’s road network, some stretches now need major repairs or total replacements, which will leave a major hole in the nation’s purse. The potholed roads in Mutare urban quickly come to mind, with littered, tarred patches now an eyesore and a hazard.
According to research, poor road conditions can lead to more than just a bumpy ride and accelerated wear and tear of vehicles. Roads can deteriorate to the level where they become dangerous and lead to accidents.
According to the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ), an average of 40 000 accidents are recorded in Zimbabwe annually. Although road traffic accidents occur for various reasons, including human error, the condition of the road surface is an important factor in preventing crashes. Road maintenance should therefore be a continuous process. A stitch in time saves nine.
