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Airborne . . . Members of Iyasa dancing group perform during the commissioning of Zinara earth-moving equipment in Harare yesterday. – (Picture by Innocent Makawa)

Felex Share Herald Reporter
Government has commissioned 40 motorised graders worth millions of dollars to rehabilitate the national road network which has deteriorated due to lack of maintenance over the last decade. The graders — bought by the Zimbabwe National Road Administration from China under the Road Authorities Recapitalisation Programme — were outstanding from a batch of 80 such equipment worth US$16 million under the programme.

The first batch of 40 graders was commissioned by President Mugabe in June this year. Commissioning the equipment, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Obert Mpofu yesterday said the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the West had not spared the country’s road network and the graders would go a long way in improving the roads to bring economic development to various provinces.

The embargo has resulted in failure by the country in accessing lines of credit for road infrastructural development and most rural areas had become impassable.

“At independence, funds for road maintenance came from either Treasury or the donor community,” he said.
“Treasury funding became insufficient due to other competing needs from other sectors of the economy like education, health and social services.

This led to the formation of a dedicated fund – the Zimbabwe National Road Administration in 2002. My ministry is aware of the fact that the road maintenance needs are becoming more visible and that our valued motorists are also demanding roads which are good and safe for them.”