Work on Harare/Beitbridge highway progressing – official

Masvingo(New Ziana) – Resurfacing and expansion of about 200 kilometres of the Harare-Beitbridge highway is expected to be completed by the end of this year, a Cabinet minister has said.

In an interview after visiting contractors near Masvingo, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Joel Matiza said he was generally happy with the contractors’ work although one of them was lagging behind.

“I am generally happy but one of the contractors is kind of behind because he received the drawings a bit late so he is kind of behind but he has assured me that they accelerated the programme to make sure that by August they should be able to hand over their 20 kilometre stretch; which then is in uniform with every contractor on site, they are promising to handover a 20 kilometre each finished product and that’s exciting and shows we are able to do 200 kilometres this year. That’s good news, progress is there,” he said.

The government contracted several local companies to resurface and expand the 600 kilometre highway in phases to improve its navigability. The highway is an important regional road artery, linking South Africa and the rest of Africa.

Matiza warned the contractors against substandard work in their zeal to outdo each other as they would be forced to redo the work thereby delaying completion of the project.

“Some have quarries, some don’t have but there is this relationship, symbiosis that they have developed. It makes the project more friendly and that’s what we want to see, we want to see this being done properly and with collective mind,” he said.

He said continuation of the project, expected to be completed by 2023 was guaranteed because the government had put in place a fund and undertook to continuously fund it from the fiscus.

New Ziana