Vice President Kembo Mohadi has inadvertently conceded that Zimbabwe’s road network is crumbling thereby presenting logistical nightmares for travellers.
Every year, the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) the parastatal responsible for the management, maintenance and development of the country’s national road network, collects millions of dollars from road users but there is little to show for it amid claims that most of the funds are misappropriated.
Officially opening the Connect Africa Symposium at the 64th Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo this week, Mohadi also said some unscrupulous business people take advantage of the country’s poor road network to unfairly increase the cost of transport and prices of goods. Said Mohadi (via NewsDay):
More often than not, poor infrastructure has presented logistical nightmares for our people.
For instance, some unscrupulous business people have taken advantage of the poor road network to overcharge and stifle the movement of goods and services.
Relatedly, complex regulations and bureaucratic red tape have also created hurdles for business, thus discouraging investment.
The Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) was launched in 2021 after President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the country’s roads a national disaster1. It focuses on urgent repairs and rehabilitation of roads across the country.
Funded through ZINARA, the programme involves re-gravelling, grading, and repairing roads, and patching potholes, among other activities.
Notably, progress has been made on the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge highway, which connects South Africa and several countries in the region.
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