Zimpapers Logo

Freeman Razemba in Shurugwi 

FOLLOWING an agreement between Government and a local construction company Road Trackers Construction (RTC) the reconstruction of the 43km Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe Road has started, much to the satisfaction of motorists and locals.

The contract for US$41 million included construction, upgrading and widening of the 43km Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe road which links Beitbridge Border Post with Gweru, Kwekwe, Chegutu, Kadoma, Chinhoyi, Karoi and Chirundu Border Post. 

The work will be carried out over a period of 12 months. 

Yesterday Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona and the Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube led a team of senior Government officials and conducted a ground breaking ceremony in Shurugwi .

The contractor whose equipment is already at the site, has since started working on detours along the road as well as employing people in and around Shurugwi.

In an interview, Minister Mhona said Government would continue moving in to rehabilitate other roads countrywide.

“We are very happy as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development. Let me hasten to thank His Excellency Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, our visionary leader who has been championing this trajectory of infrastructural development. 

“As you can witness today, this has been a topical road, Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe and you can witness that we are right at the border of Masvingo Province and Midlands Province. And alas if you coming from Masvingo, its carpet (in good condition) and when you start from here you see mushrooming of potholes, so for quite a number of days I have been having calls from the local leadership, the local MP, and also even from the Minister of State to say when are you coming to Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe? 

“But I want to thank the listening President Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa who has been running around each and every day trying to mobilise resources for our country. As you know that we are under very punitive sanctions, the illegal sanctions where we cannot tap into other jurisdictions in terms of concessional facilities. We are managing from our own resources. This is also a humble plea to the people of Zimbabwe that yes we cannot rehabilitate each and every road at the same time but once we start we will continue until we complete the project,” he said.

Minister Mhona said the ministry would continue its mandate to ensure there is trafficable and navigable roads countrywide.

“And it is also a humble plea to the people of Zimbabwe that whenever we say, ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’ as alluded by His Excellency Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, this is what we mean. So you find out that employment creation, the local youths are being recruited by the contractor and also the issues of quality is of paramount important to us. 

“As you can also see we have the quality-control resident engineer who has been monitoring this project. So I would also want to allay the fears of the citizens that once we rehabilitate the road we expect the life span to be 20 years on average so that we do not revisit the same road. This is what we are going to be monitoring together with my team. We are not ending here, we also have very topical roads. We have Bulawayo-Nkayi Road; we have even Bulawayo-Victoria Falls which is in a sorry state as we speak, but we are saying we are coming there. 

“We are not only going to end on trunk roads but we are also going be revisiting other locations so that at the end of the day our road network will be enhanced,” Minister Mhona said.

Speaking during the same ceremony, Minister Ncube described the occasion as “auspicious, monumental and historic” in that it marked the commitment by the Second Republic to modernise and industrialise the country in pursuit of an upper middle income economy before 2030. 

“Indeed, His Excellency the President is a listening, servant leader who is pro-people and results oriented as shown by the commencement of road construction works to build back better. Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe Road which had become a concern to the leadership, motorists and Shurugwi residents is now being attended to. The year 2024 has started on a high note and has signalled better things to come for the Midlands Province as our priority road has been targeted for reconstruction confirming the New Dispensation’s development approach of leaving no one and no place behind.

“Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe Road holds significant economic prominence as an accelerator to the growth of Midlands provincial GDP. It is our shortest and cost-effective lifeline route for our corporates and mining giants to international markets through South Africa and Mozambique.”

“On the flip side it also serves as a link for goods and services destined for the region to countries like Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo. Furthermore, the road enhances people to people interaction, unity and social cohesion as it provides the shortest route to sister provinces of Masvingo, Manicaland and Matabeleland South. In line with the devolution and decentralisation agenda, Shurugwi District stands to benefit from employment of locals and related contracts,” Minister Ncube said.

The province expects a boom in business due to increased incomes and changes to consumption styles and levels. 

“The Midlands Province fully supports the leadership of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa. The Midlands Province is on course towards attainment of an industrialised and knowledge-driven upper-middle-income-economy by leveraging on its human and natural resources endowments particularly in the following sectors; Agriculture, Mining, Tourism and Infrastructure Development. 

 “We are targeting modernisation of our road network as it is a key economic enabler that facilitates growth of tourism, trade and investment. I urge local authorities in particular to move with speed to repair and upgrade their infrastructure.

“In this regard, allow me to draw your attention towards Kavongo, Sesame and Ungwe road sections along Sanyati-Nemangwe which were recently washed away by floods. Emergency works on Gokwe-Choda (Jahana) should be prioritised to connect Gokwe North and South. Furthermore, Boterekwa section, Kwekwe-Nkayi, and completion of Mberengwa-West Nicholson and Kwekwe-Mvuma roads equally need attention,” Minister Ncube said.

Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) board chairperson Dr George Manyaya said the role of the road authority is to collect funds and then disburse for the benefit of the people.

“From the 100 percent that Zinara collects, 88 percent is channelled to road Infrastructural projects. So like this road (Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe) is going to be funded by treasury, so Zinara just collects the funds and we submit them to Treasury,” he said.