Traffic Safety Council embarks on highway fencing

The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe is working round the clock to complete fencing of Bulawayo-Beitbridge Highways as a measure to reduce accidents caused by stray animals, managing director Mr Obio Chinyere has said.

The development is one of the Government priority projects under the second 100-day cycle of the Second Republic. Government adopted the 100-day cycle programme to increase effectiveness and create operational efficiencies in the implementation of national priority projects.

"We are working on 50 km Gwanda-Bulawayo highway. We want to reduce vehicle and animal conflict. So far we have covered 42kms with poles. Bushes have already been cleared and 28 km have already been fenced.

"We are at about 52 percent . All things being equal, we hope to complete by September this year," he said.

"We expect to hand over the project to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development in September this year. There is a reason for fencing. Zimbabwe used to be a cattle country. We need to protect the cattle and reduce accidents in major roads. Mr Chinyere also appealed to the communities to safeguard the fence erected close to their areas.

"We have completed Gweru-Plumtree high way, but regrettably it was vandalised.

"The people should desist from vandalising state property, in fact, it is their property. The fence actually protects their wealth. We are saving lives. We should have a spirit of monitoring and policing the fence and report any cases of vandalism to the law enforcements agency," he added.

"If funds were permitting we are targeting Bulawayo-Beitbridge road also. All roads need to be fenced," he said.

The TSCZ is a parastatal under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, currently embarking on a project to fence off the country's highways as part of measures to reduce carnage caused by stray animals. The programme started with the erection of the Bulawayo-Gweru Highway perimeter fence.