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Lloyd Gumbo Senior Reporter
The company that won a tender for the dualisation of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu highway, Geiger International, will call for expressions of interest from companies that want to be involved in the project, parliamentarians heard today.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo said Government had managed to negotiate with the Austrian firm to ensure that 40 percent of the project was reserved for locals.

He made the remarks while giving oral evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development chaired by Zanu-PF MP for Chegutu West, Cde Dexter Nduna.

The committee wanted to know how locals were going to get the 40 percent and the criteria to be used in selecting the companies.

“As Government and as a ministry, we awarded the dualisation of the Beitbridge-Chirundu road to Geiger International, which is an Austrian company and our work ends there,” said Dr Gumbo.

“Second to that, we negotiated for 40 percent local involvement in the construction of this road. But as a ministry, we are not going to be involved to say use this or that criteria.

“The criteria to be used will be done by the contractor because they are the ones who must come up with a project that will satisfy us. They will have to advertise for the kind of work they want locals to be involved in, whether it’s provision of quarry and so forth.”

Dr Gumbo chided the committee for interfering with executive work by rushing to make policy pronouncements, which is a preserve of the executive.

Details to follow….