By Rex Mphisa
THE much-awaited Municipality of Beitbridge (MoB) grader is expected to start operations today, ending years of residents’ anxiety and waiting for user-friendly urban roads.
Most of Beitbridge urban roads are rugged, and some have never been graded and were created by residents’ vehicles carrying building materials.
Beitbridge Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola on Wednesday, December 10, said the grader would finally be deployed to start working on the roads.
“I am sure today it should start. We had everything in place by the end of the day yesterday. Take note Council also bought blades,” Ramakgapola said in response to questions from Ziyah News Network.
“I am sure it will,” Ramakgapola said but was not sure which specific road the grader would start.
“Specific details I do not have let me check,” he said.
The issue of the grader has been a thorny one in most social media groups of the residents.
On the 422-member Beitbridge Progressive Residents Whatsapp group tempers flared and cooled down as residents sought answers as to why they have been made to wait this long for the grader.
Most of the roads in the residential and industrial areas of Beitbridge are dustry with no maintenance at all.
Questions were also raised as whether the grader is new or used, considering some businessmen pooled resources to buy a blade for the machine.
Some residents accused councillors and staff of being divided, which was unhealthy for development.
The town is run by the opposition CCC, which had seven of the eight councillors, something the ruling Zanu PF has not easily accepted.
On the other hand, CCC councilors believe their parent ministry frustrated them to prove them failures.
“It is these differences that tear our development. We must all know we belong to one town despite our diverse political views, ” said one resident.
Beitbridge town, once the fastest growing settlement in the country, has of late slowed down, a feat blamed on recent developments at the border post where authorities have tightened screws on border activities, including smuggling.
But some residents blame it on high duty tariffs .