Harare,( New Ziana) – The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has launched a grassroots road rehabilitation programme in Harare’s Glenview suburb as part of a wider initiative to improve local roads across the country.

Speaking during a road tour on Thursday, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Felix Mhona, said the programme is being carried out under the guidance and vision of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has directed that development must start from the grassroots.

Mhona, accompanied by other government officials, inspected the ongoing road rehabilitation project in Glenview suburb.

The project will see the road passing through the furniture market in Glenview Area 8 and extending to the intersection of Rothmans and Simon Mazorodze roads.

This initiative is not limited to Glenview, it also covers parts of Warren Park and Dzivarasekwa.

“We were talking about descending to the locations, and this is what we are witnessing today,” Mhona said.

“His Excellency said we cannot continue watching (roads getting dilapidated) ; we have to go down to the grassroots and attend to the roads.”

Her emphasized that for many years, local roads had been neglected, particularly in high-density suburbs, as the ministry previously focused only on major trunk roads.

However, the new approach will ensure that even community roads are given priority. “For over two decades, roads were neglected when it comes to locations,” he said.

“But today we are witnessing this magnificent infrastructure rehabilitation programme.” Mhona clarified that the programme is not being done to influence elections but to deliver long-overdue service to citizens.

“It is not intended to actually portray the issues to do with the elections that are before us,” he said.

Mhona explained that one of the roads will pass through popular areas such as Area 8 and Rothmans, eventually connecting to Simon Mazorodze Road, which is also being upgraded as part of the Harare–Beitbridge road project. He stressed that although local roads fall under the responsibility of local authorities, the central government had stepped in due to years of neglect.

“As a ministry, we are attending to our trunk roads,” he said, adding that the ongoing projects would help ease traffic congestion in Harare.

New Ziana