Mhona moves to put all roads under transport ministry authority 

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development is considering a major policy shift that would place all roads, urban, rural, trunk and township, under its direct management, citing worsening deterioration and slow responses from existing road authorities.

This emerged during a Senate question-and-answer session on Thursday, where Transport Minister Felix Mhona responded to concerns about the poor condition of roads in Bulawayo and across the country.

Senator Kucaca Phulu questioned the lack of coordination between the Ministry and local authorities, noting that several state roads in Bulawayo remain in disrepair despite government commitments to infrastructure development.

“My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development… with specific reference to Bulawayo, the state roads are sometimes in a very poor state. What coordination or strategic alliance do you have with local authorities to ensure that as they fix their roads, they coordinate with your Ministry?” asked Phulu.

In response, Mhona acknowledged widespread deterioration and said government is exploring a consolidated approach to road maintenance. He noted that the current system, involving four road authorities (the Department of Roads, local authorities, Rural District Councils, and the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency), is no longer delivering timely or effective service.

“The design used to work, but over the past two decades our roads have dilapidated and are in a sorry state. At times, funds are disbursed to local authorities but they may not have competent engineers, resulting in roads going unattended,” Mhona said.

He added that some local authorities carry out “shoddy” work due to skills gaps, prompting Provincial Road Engineers to regularly report poor standards.

Mhona said government is now seeking support from both the National Assembly and the Senate for a proposal that would collapse the current structure and place all roads, including city and trunk routes, under the Department of Roads.

“This is the proposal; I am not saying we are abolishing other road authorities,” he emphasised.

Centralising road management, he said, would allow the Ministry to respond more quickly and eliminate delays caused by the division of responsibilities.

“Instead of saying this road belongs to RIDA or the local authority, we want the mandate to rehabilitate roads through the Department of Roads,” he said. “Even traffic lights and drainage systems fall under local authorities, but the public still expects the Minister of Transport to intervene.”

He said the proposal would allow the Ministry to rehabilitate roads city by city, especially in older suburbs where infrastructure has not been upgraded since establishment.

Mhona stressed that the intention is not to undermine devolution or remove local authorities’ powers but to reduce bureaucratic delays.

“At times there are delays. You drive into the city centre and you see robots not working, drainages clogged. For the common good, it is ideal that the Department of Roads superintends over this, working with provincial and resident engineers,” he said.

Local authorities would still carry out road works, he added, but within a coordinated, streamlined framework.

“The idea is to shorten processes so that when attending to roads, we do not have to allocate or share blame with another authority,” said Mhona.