Cabinet was informed that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has already released ZW$480 million towards the emergency road rehabilitation programme according to Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa at a press briefing yesterday.
This comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the Zimbabwean road system a state of disaster in a government gazette last week
Mutsvangwa said, “The Rehabilitation Programme is targeting the following categories: regional trunk roads linking Zimbabwe with neighbouring countries; major highways connecting the main cities; major arteries in urban local authorities; rural access roads; and bridges and other drainage structures weakened or destroyed by flooding.”
“The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development will lead the processes on the identification and prioritization of road infrastructure in need of rehabilitation; identification of scope of works, outlining of key activities and deliverables; development programmme of works, bills of quantities and cash-flow plans; equipment mobilization and procurement of labour and materials; and project management, supervision and certification of completed works.”
Mutsvangwa also revealed that the road rehabilitation programme will empower communities through the Labour-Based Arrangement engagement where casual work shall be parcelled out on respective stretches along the roads.
“Local farmers will also be contracted to assist with verge clearing along major roads adjacent to their farms,” she said.
“The RDCs will be required, as part of capacity building, to run staff training programmes for machinery operators in their respective areas of jurisdiction.”
“A programme to re-gravel rural roads, especially in areas with sandy soils, such as Nkayi District in Matabeleland North Province will be undertaken in order to ensure a reliable network of feeder roads which support socio-economic development,” she went on.
The government has been blaming current rains for the damages that have taken place on Zimbabwean roads.
Zimbabwe has a total road network of 98 049 km, distributed among the four categories of Road Authorities, namely the Department of Roads; the District Development Fund; Urban Local Authorities; and Rural District Authorities.
