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Freedom Mupanedemo-Midlands Bureau

The drive to develop infrastructure, even in the remotest of areas, is gathering pace amid indications that the construction of Gunguhwe Bridge in Gokwe North district is now 65 percent complete and will be finished by October, just in time for the rains.

Gokwe North is one of the most remote districts in the Midlands, and Zimbabwe as a whole, and the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa has committed a lot of resources to change its face.

Gunguhwe Bridge, which links Gokwe North with Gokwe South, Mashonaland West and Matabeleland North, was swept away in 2008. Repairs had not started until 2018 when the Second Republic came in.

District Development Fund (DDF) acting Roads Engineer, Engineer Goodwill Mapako, said the bridge, which was the major infrastructure project in the district, was now 65 percent complete.

 “We are happy with the pace we are moving at in the rehabilitation and expansion of Gunguhwe Bridge. Much of the work has since been done. If we continue at this pace we are likely to finish the project by October this year,” he said.

When complete, the bridge will provide a short-cut between Gokwe North and South, said Eng Mapako.

 It will also link Gumunyu and Mashame townships which were not accessible, especially during rainy seasons. This is the road that also connects Gokwe North and Mashonaland West, that is Karoi as well as Matabeleland North, which is Binga.

“When it is raining, all vehicles stop at the bridge as they can’t cross, he said.

Gokwe North district development coordinator Mr Martin Musakanda said the bridge will bring relief to villagers, particularly school children.

 It is a very important project to the locals as they have been failing to access essential services such as clinics and schools during the rainy season. When it rains, pupils were forced to wait for at least a week or two before they could cross the bridge to the school, but because there is now a bridge, they will be able to cross, he said.

Mr Musakanda said some disasters had occurred at the bridge before as vehicles tried to cross, with a truck full of pesticides swept away at some point, leaving farmers stranded.

Towards the end of July, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring, Implementation of Government Programmes, Dr Joram Gumbo, toured the bridge to assess progress. At that stage, progress on the bridge was at 60 percent.

President Mnangagwa’s Government is deliberately focusing on developing infrastructure as part of efforts to achieve Vision 2030 of an empowered upper middle income society.

Roads construction is seen as a key enabler for economic transformation.