The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
Great progress is being made in rehabilitating the province’s roads, with some of the contractors for the various projects being spearheaded under Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme onsite and putting final touches on their projects.
Contractors are expected to deliver on the terms of agreements they signed or risk being blacklisted.
Government has said it will not tolerate shoddy work from contractors.
At least 19 contractors have already been blacklisted for doing shoddy work and will not be considered for future Government programmes.
It therefore comes as no suprise that massive road infrastructure upgrades have gathered pace in Manicaland as contractors race against time to complete their projects.
In 2021, Government embarked on a national road reconstruction blitz aimed at upgrading the country’s roads after local authorities’ poor service delivery as well as incessant rains had left some roads in dire straits.
A lot of ground has since been covered under the ERRP2.
Unfortunately, the heavy downpours experienced early this year saw some of the progress that had been made being reversed.
However, Government have been working round the clock to rehabilitate the damaged roads again.
Skyline Bridge makes driving along the Wengezi-Chimanimani Road a wonderful experience.
The Manica Post understands that Government is currently repairing three major roads in each town across Manicaland province under the ERRP2.
On Wednesday, Manicaland Provincial Roads Engineer Kudzai Maganga said the upgrading of five gravel roads in Nyanga, Buhera, Makoni and Chipinge (commonly referred to as Binya Roads) has commenced.
The roads are being tarred under ERRP2.
Engineer Maganga also revealed that the contractor assigned to rehabilitate the Mutare-Chimanimani Fly-Over is already on the ground.
The rehabilitation will ensure smooth movement of traffic along Mutare’s CBD entry and exit point.
A number of bridges, including the one soon after the Fly-Over and near Zuva Service Station in Mutare, is also set to be widened to reduce congestion.
The upgrading of the Murambinda–Birchenough Road has also started, with the first five kilometres at 40 percent completion.
The tarring took off from the Birchenough side.
Engineer Maganga said the surfacing of the Cashel-Chimanimani Road is also in full swing, with the contractor onsite.
Funding for the first five kilometres has been availed.
He also said other roads that are set for upgrading this year include the Headlands-Mayo, Odzi-Marange (49km), Nyanga-Rwenya and the Chipinge-Mt Selinda Roads.
Chimanimani’s Twin River and Mutyire River Bridges that were damaged by Cyclone Anna in 2022, as well as Nyanga’s Gairezi Bridge, are 98 percent complete.
The Nyahodi 4 Bridge in Chimanimani is now 100 percent complete.
In Rusape, the surfacing of the 1.3 kilometre Castle Base-Magamba Road has been completed, while works on the 3.5km Vengere Loop Road is now at five percent, with the contractor working from Wedza Turn-off Fly-Over inwards.
Work on the 1.7km Old Magamba Road, off the Mutare-Harare Highway, is 41 percent complete – a development that will come as a huge relief for residents and motorists who can’t wait to have a better road.
Said Engineer Maganya: “Various contractors doing roads and damaged bridges are on the ground in our districts. The projects are at various stages of completion.
“Gairezi Bridge is about 98 percent complete and the contractor is putting some final touches pending commissioning.
“The Machonge-Rusitu Road is now 70 percent complete and we expect the stretch to be complete soon, while the tarring of the Murambinda-Birchenough Road has started,” said Engineer Maganga.
He said the repair and maintenance of the Chivhu-Nyazura Road, which is focusing on pothole patching and bush clearance, among others, is now 40 percent complete, while the Rusape-Goto Road is 30 percent complete.
Engineer Maganga said the construction of Nyamangura Shelvet has started, while the re-graveling of the Chiduku Road in Makoni is 40 percent complete.
A shelvet is a structure that is smaller than a bridge.
Engineer Maganga went on to stress that Government is guarding against poor workmanship.
“Those awarded tenders to work on the roads should be up to the task. We cannot waste resources by double paying people for something they should have perfected on the first attempt,” he said.
His comments come in the wake of complaints from many people on the poor workmanship being exhibited by some of the companies that won tenders to resurface the roads.
Some of the roads like Kumbirai Kangai (Aerodrome), Magamba and Dangamvura Link Road in Mutare are already littered with potholes, while in Chipinge residents are up in arms with a contractor for failing to deliver on the awarded contract.
Good road infrastructure is a key public asset as it guarantees access to health care, education, jobs and social amenities.
It also spurs community development and economic growth.
