Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe highway contractor gets down to business

Midlands Bureau

THE Government has released funds for the rehabilitation of the Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe Highway and the contractor is now on site.

The rehabilitation of the Shurugwi – Mhandamabwe Highway is expected to cost US$41 million. The road connects the Midlands and Masvingo provinces, and due to the bad state of the road, motorists were now driving via Zvishavane town.

The Government engaged a local construction company, Road Trackers Construction (RTC) to reconstruct a 43km stretch along the Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe Road.

The contract includes the construction, upgrading, and widening of the 43km stretch, which links Beitbridge with Gweru, Kwekwe, Chegutu, Kadoma, Chinhoyi, Karoi and Chirundu.

The rehabilitation of the highway is part of the Second Republic’s broader plans to improve key infrastructure in the country in line with National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

The project has ignited excitement among the locals as it will unlock business opportunities for them.

Shurugwi South Constituency legislator Cde Wilson Mhuri said: “We are very excited as people of Shurugwi for the development which has come to our constituency. This confirms the fact that our President is a listening leader. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

A public transport operator based at Chachacha Growth Point Mr Ian Phiri said the rehabilitation of the road is a relief for motorists whose vehicles constantly developed mechanical faults due to the poor state road.

“It is indeed a dream come true for us. We used to have problems with our cars whenever traveling on this road, but today our prayers have just been answered,” he said.

“It is now risky to use this highway as car suspensions are always damaged. So this is a positive development for us as public transporters.”

A local villager, Ms Emily Shoko said some transport operators servicing the route were starting to pull out due to the bad state of the road resulting in transport challenges.

Earlier this week, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona and the Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Owen Ncube led a team of senior Government officials to the site in Shurugwi for a groundbreaking ceremony.

The contractor whose equipment is already at the site, has since started working on detours along the road.

Minister Mhona said the rehabilitation of the road will be finished within 12 months.

“The Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe road has been a topical issue and you can witness that we are right at the border of Masvingo and the Midlands provinces. If you drive from Masvingo, the road is like a carpet, but when you start from here, you see mushrooming of potholes,” he said.

“I want to thank the listening leader, President Mnangagwa who has been running around mobilising resources for our country. As you know we are under illegal sanctions where we cannot tap into other jurisdictions in terms of concessional facilities.”

Minister Mhona said the ministry would continue with its mandate to ensure that roads across the country are navigable.

“As you can also see we have the quality-control resident engineer who has been monitoring this project. I would also want to allay the fears of the citizens that once we rehabilitate the road we expect the life span to be 20 years on average so that we do not revisit the same road,” he said.

“This is what we are going to be monitoring together with my team. We are not ending here, we also have the Bulawayo-Nkayi and Bulawayo-Victoria Falls roads, which are in a sorry state.”

Minister Ncube said the rehabilitation of the road marked the commitment by the Second Republic to modernise and industrialise the country in pursuit of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

“The Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe road which had become an issue of concern for us as leadership, including motorists and Shurugwi residents, is now being attended to,” he said.

“The year 2024 has started on a high note and signals better things to come for the Midlands Province as our priority road has been targeted for reconstruction confirming the Second Republic’s development approach of leaving no one and no place behind.”

Minister Ncube said the Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe road is an accelerator to the growth of Midlands provincial GDP.

He said it is the shortest and most cost-effective lifeline route for corporates and mining giants to international markets through South Africa and Mozambique.

“On the flip side, it also serves as a link for goods and services destined for the region to countries like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Furthermore, the road enhances people-to-people interaction, unity, and social cohesion as it provides the shortest route to the sister provinces of Masvingo, Manicaland and Matabeleland South,” said Minister Ncube.

“In line with the devolution and decentralisation agenda, Shurugwi district stands to benefit from the employment of locals and related contracts.”

Minister Ncube said the Midlands province is on course towards the attainment of an industrialised and knowledge-driven upper-middle-income economy by leveraging on its human and natural resources endowments.

“We are targeting the modernisation of our road network as it is a key economic enabler that facilitates the growth of tourism, trade, and investment. I urge local authorities in particular to move with speed to repair and upgrade their infrastructure,” he said.