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Speaking at a media briefing in Harare on Monday, 17 March, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Felix Mhona, said that a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is being structured to address the rehabilitation of the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, which is currently in dire need of repairing. The expected schedule for completing the renovation of this key stretch of road is 36 months.
This comes not long after a viral photo of foreigners lounging in a massive crater along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road sparked outrage, turning the spotlight on Zimbabwe’s crumbling infrastructure.
The minister also gave credit to the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) for its crucial role in collecting funds to ensure the maintenance of the country’s roads. The Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road is approximately 800 kilometres.
Mhona highlighted the high price tag of such infrastructure projects, revealing that the global average cost of road reconstruction is around US$1 million per kilometre.
“Zimbabwe’s entire road network spans close to 90 000 kilometres, including gravel roads in rural areas. Under normal circumstances, we would appeal to financiers for concessionary facilities with flexible grace periods to fund such projects. However, the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe have significantly impacted our ability to secure funding for infrastructure development,” said the Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister.
Minister Mhona announced a collaborative effort between the Department of Roads and Bitumen World to repair sections of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway adding that work has already begun, with teams stationed in Hwange, Halfway, and Insuza.
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