The seven firms
join Bitumen World, which was initially awarded the tender to work on the 435km
road which leads to the country’s premier tourism destination.
Under the new
arrangement, which is similar to what is happening on the Harare-Beitbridge
road where different contractors were engaged, each company will work on a 51km
stretch.
In in an
interview after commissioning the 230-metre long Somgolo Bridge in Lupanda
Village, Lupane District on Friday, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and
Devolution Minister Cde Richard Moyo said the companies were scheduled to start
work last week, but were delayed by administrative issues.
“Cabinet agreed
to engage seven more contractors to join Bitumen World and each company will
rehabilitate a 51km stretch,” said Minister Moyo.
He said the
contractors will not be doing pothole patching, but will completely overhaul
the badly damaged road, which has seen motorists who in the past used to take
about five hours from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls now taking eight hours or
more.
“The Government
has resolved to reconstruct this badly damaged road like what is being done on
the Harare-Beitbridge road, hence this time the work the companies have been
engaged to do is not pothole patching. The road is worn out and the Government
wants a complete overhaul,” said Minister Moyo.
This busy
highway is in a state of disrepair partly because of the increased number of
haulage trucks and incessant rains.
“Work was
supposed to start on April 3, but administrative issues delayed the programme,”
said Minister Moyo.
Developing a
sound transport infrastructure is key to achieving the nation’s vision of an
upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
President
Mnangagwa has already outlined the key infrastructural projects that his
Government will undertake this year, which include the construction of roads
and dams.
The
Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls is one of the key priority projects given
its economic impact as it connects local businesses with Southern African
countries such as Zambia, DRC and South Africa.
The route is
also a strategic access point to the country’s tourist destinations such as the
Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls.
Some sections
of the highway are now littered with potholes making it difficult for motorists
to navigate.
The Government
has said the permanent solution to fixing the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria
Falls Highway is to do a complete reconstruction like what is being done on the
Harare-Beitbridge road.
Last October,
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere
said Cabinet had considered and adopted the proposed Public-Private Partnership
between Government and Bitumen World for the immediate rebuilding of the
Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road.
The Second
Republic, under President Mnangagwa, has continued to prioritise
infrastructural development countrywide under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation
Programme (ERRP2) and various other initiatives, which have transformed the
economy as well as creating employment.
The Second
Republic has invested significantly in infrastructural development as a key
enabler to economic transformation despite limited access to external lines of
credit.
So far, more
than 50 000km of roads have been rehabilitated, while 2 000 structures have
been attended to since the start of the ERRP2 in 2021. Herald
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