Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said that funding issues have caused delays in the Harare-Chirundu Highway rehabilitation project.
Speaking to Members of Parliament recently, Mhona assured them that the Ministry of Transport is working on securing the necessary funds to complete the project on time. He said (via NewsDay):
We cannot tap into the fiscus to complete this entire project, lest it take time to complete.
So, we are finalising a funding modality for the whole stretch, which is from Harare to Chirundu.
Very soon, we will be finalising that funding model, where we want to address various sections simultaneously so that we do not start and stop.
Mhona said depending solely on the government’s budget allocation for the project would cause further delays. He said:
In terms of the budgeted amount in the blue book, as I indicated, we are talking of a 350km stretch of the road.
The approach that we want to take in this particular project is not just to operate within the confines of what has been budgeted.
So, if we wait for what has been allocated in the budget only, it means we will operate and wait for another allocation. We cannot wait for the fiscus.
I think this will also buttress the point that what is in the budget will augment the initiatives that we are taking as a ministry.
Many roads in Zimbabwe are still in poor condition, despite the government starting the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Project (ERRP) in 2021.
The project was launched after President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the country’s roads a national disaster.
However, little progress has been made, with some claiming that the companies hired for the work did a poor job.
Recent rains have made the situation worse, leaving many roads filled with large potholes.
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