State of the art toll gate commissioned

ZIMBABWE'S first toll plaza was commissioned here yesterday, about 16 kilometres from Bulawayo, amid pomp and fanfare.

Transport, Communications and Infrastructure Development Minister Nicholas Goche drove through the plaza from both ends of the road, paying his toll fees to signal its official opening.

Until yesterday, motorists have been driving through the plaza without paying as test runs were being conducted.

The fees, to be paid at the toll plaza, built under a joint venture between the Zimbabwe National Road Administration and Group Five of South Africa, would be the same for all vehicle categories with those at other tollgates.

Minister Goche urged investors to take up the development of Zimbabwe's other highways such as the Beitbridge-Chirundu Road, airports and railway lines.

He said traditionally, Government funded road infrastructure development, but now had competing interests which had resulted in the sector suffering.

"This has become unsustainable given the high cost of road construction," said Minister Goche.

"Instead of using the traditional Government funds termed first generation money, there has been a move towards second generation money which comes from user charges in line with user-pay principle."

Minister Goche said the user-pay principle showed that Zimbabwe was moving with the times where road infrastructure was run as a business.

"This approach reduces the burden of road maintenance on Treasury to other needy critical sectors of the economy, while society pays for the rehabilitation of the roads depending on use," he said.

Minister Goche said road infrastructure investment played a vital role in unlocking the economic potential of areas hard to access.

He said a well-maintained road network had economic advantages, while road maintenance created jobs for local communities.

"Good roads improve road safety and fewer lives are lost on such roads," said Minister Goche.

"On a macro level, a good road network creates accessibility to centres of economic importance from rural to urban areas and vice versa."

In addition, good roads promote national trade and efficient transit traffic flow between Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries, said Minister Goche.

He said the percentage of women employed under the plaza project should be increased to 40 percent.

Minister Goche was responding to protests by Group Five chairperson Mrs Philisiwe Mthethwa who felt the 30 percent applauded by Zinara chief executive Mr Frank Chitukutuku was too small.

Mr Chitukutuku said his organisation would be taking over collecting revenue at all tollgates from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority with effect from July.

He said over 1 800 jobs had been created at tollgates on the highways, with 30 percent of the workforce being women.

More than 220 local companies have been contracted as suppliers of different goods and services for the tollgates.

"About US$80 million has so far benefited our local contractors, suppliers and people employed under this project," said Mr Chitukutuku.

Research has shown that on average US$140 000 can be collected every month at the new toll plaza.

At least eight more plazas are planned on the Plumtree-Mutare highway with three already under construction at Figtree, Rusape and Norton at a cost of nearly US$1 million each.

The new toll plazas would run solely on solar power and bring modernity on Zimbabwe's highways.

The toll plaza at Ntabazinduna is equipped with computers that read vehicle classes and automatically determine the toll charge.

The system allows for a vehicle count in terms of classes.

The new toll plazas replace the ones that were recently condemned by the Government as below standard.