By Rex Mphisa
MOTORISTS and travellers using the Harare and Bulawayo roads from Beitbridge are having serious challenges navigating on detours due to flooding caused by incessant rains.
Videos circulating on social media showed the situation near Masvingo at Nyanda hills as near impossible for smaller vehicles as flooding water was above lower side of doors.
That section of the road is yet to be completed along with other sections from Jaka to the Chibi Toll Gate, the area around Neshuro Turn Off and the mountainous section near Ngundu Halt.
Companies contracted to do those areas are yet to complete those sections because allegedly they are yet to receive full payment, according to a director from one of the companies.
“We have not been paid for part of the work done and this is a job where you use money. We have to buy material and we use a lot of fuel for our machinery. There is no way you can do this job without money,” he said.
The main companies contracted for the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge Road rehabilitation project in Zimbabwe are Bitumen World, Fossil Contracting, Masimba Holdings, Exodus and Company, and Tensor Systems.
Smaller sections handled by a “Trial Section” contractor who worked under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development as part of a major national infrastructure drive.
Some of the companies were not up to the task and failed to cope with the job and ended up hiring fellow contractors.
It is at these sections in difficult areas the current crises are, slowing down traffic movement at at times having road blockages when motorists fail to manoeuvre.
“Small cars were literally swimming, it is a sad situation because the terrain was only for high vehicles, the rype ordinary people do not have,” said a trucker from Harare.
“It is a horrible experience because the other alternative increases your distance by 60 to kilometres when you go through Chibi Growth Point to access the Bulawayo road,” he said.
Motorists interviewed in a random survey criticised the responsible ministry for collection of tolls on roads that are not complete.
“Where are they putting the money if its not being used in the project? Vehicles are being damaged in these detours which are a nightmare. The President must intervene because he is being lied to,” said a senior Zanu PF politician in Masvingo.
“We have some ministers who do not tell the president the truth, how can we have one road taking years to complete and yer we start on new projects? We are failing our people,” he said.
Government embarked on the rehabilitation of all major highways including the Beitbridge to Chirundu and Beitbridge to Victoria Falls highways as major economic enablers.
But it has been criticised for piecemeal approach and failure to finish critical sections.
Of late there is work on the Chirundu – Harare road and Bulawayo to Victoria Falls road befors rhe Beitbridge to Harare highway has been completed.
Motorists on the Beitbridge to Bulawayo road have for the last six years driven on a dirt section some 50 kilometres from Beitbridge near the wooden Zebra Lodge close to Zhovhe Dam.
There was no response from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development head offices in Harare.