The Sunday News
Munyaradzi Musiiwa and Judith Phiri, Sundays News Reporter
THE Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has given contractors of the Beitbridge-Chirundu Road reconstruction a target of 364 kilometres to be completed before the end of the year as Government steps up efforts to expedite the reconstruction of the major highway.
Speaking after a familiarisation tour in Bulawayo on Friday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said the country’s road infrastructure was in a bad state and the dire situation was exacerbated by the heavy and incessant rains that the country received this season which left a trail of destruction.
He said the Government was also inviting more players to come on board in the road reconstruction so as to accelerate the project which will improve the country’s road network.
“In terms of road infrastructure, the Beitbridge-Chirundu highway resurfacing was an initiative of the new dispensation which decided that we have been looking for funds elsewhere and it has not been working so we need to resource mobilise domestically and resurface our roads from our domestic resources. So local players were then invited to tender for the Beitbridge-Chirundu Road.
As we speak, they have done 164km under phase one and two and we are expecting to do 200km this year which is something that is in the right trajectory,” said Minister Mhona.
He said all contractors were being paid in local currency as the project was being funded from the Government fiscus.
“We are paying from the fiscus and in local currency. This is an initiative that is very commendable. We still maintain the open-door policy where we want more players to come in and partner Government to expedite the exercise,” he said.
