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The state of the country’s roads has become a serious cause for concern, with particular worry being the poor road network in Harare where most roads in the city have become an eyesore, making driving an energy-sapping task as motorists have to navigate through the potholes.

Accidents have become frequent as motorists attempt to avoid driving into potholes. The incessant rains this season made the road situation worse and there have been loud calls for the Harare City Council to rehabilitate the roads in line with the City’s presumed Sunshine status.

It is thus heartening to note that the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) has released $1,7 million to council to mend the city’s road network. This is what most motorists have waited to hear for too long as the rehabilitation of the roads would bring back the pleasure of driving, which the numerous potholes had taken away.

Government recently declared Harare’s roads a state of disaster and it is only befitting that funds are availed for road rehabilitation and maintenance.

While we celebrate the release of funds to mend the road network, we want to appeal to authorities to ensure the money goes for road rehabilitation and nothing else. With the announcement of the release of the money, we now wait to see work starting on selected city roads without delay.

While it is true that the amount of money released by Zinara is just a drop in the ocean given the work that needs to be undertaken, we still expect some high level of accountability and responsibility on the part of the authorities.

Let the $1,7 million, as small as it is, be used towards rehabilitating the roads.

We must see work on the roads and where the money gets exhausted, we must be updated so that we remove any grain of doubt in the minds of the people as to how the money would have been used.

This is not money meant for bosses to buy the latest vehicles for their personal use. It is not money released for the “chefs’’ to go on holiday abroad with their families and neither is it money for them to use to upgrade and renovate their mansions. No.

It is money that calls for accountability as everything that is undertaken must surely be accounted for.

There has always been a tendency by bosses to want to abuse money meant for important projects to their own personal benefit and this should not be tolerated.

There is also the issue of costing of materials used in road rehabilitation which has always created problems.

We have seen the cost of materials being inflated, leading to poor workmanship as the bosses purchase sub-standard materials in order to pocket the balance.

We believe this should not be the case with the $1,7 million that Zinara has released.

The poor road network in the city affect everyone and so it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure zero-tolerance to abuse of the money.

Most vehicles in the city have become a huge cost centre for many people as they have to send the cars for service and maintenance regularly because of the poor state of the roads.

It is thus in the interest of all of us to ensure the money availed is put to its proper use.