Gwanda Residents Complain over Mtshabezi River bridge AGAIN!

Residents of Gwanda have yet again expressed their frustration over the Mtshabezi River Bridge.

The bridge which links Gwanda Town to its three major mining operations, Blanket, Vumbachikwe and Freda Mines is a single lane bridge in a deep steep and only a few metres from the river base. On approaching the bridge a visible deadly hazard greets every driver.

The heavy rains of the past few weeks left the water flowing over the bridge completely covering it and blocking off both vehicular and pedestrian traffic hoping to cross the bridge. Long ques of vehicles from both sides of the river were seen stretching over 500 metres on each side of the river on Monday waiting for the river to subside. Included in the que of vehicles were vehicles going for a burial at the Mount Cazalet Cemetery on the other side of the river.

Residents who were interviewed in the more than five hours wait for the river to subside expressed their utmost anger at the responsible authorities for failing to attend to the bridge over all the years.

"This speaks volumes of the kind of neglect that we are exposed to by those that claim to represent us. I don't believe that 34 years into independence all the MPs have found it good to have a bridge of this sort on such a busy road" said one angry resident of Vumbachikwe Mine who identified himself as Hareed Phiri.

The bridge was build by the colonial government in the fifties as just a temporary access bridge between the mines and the town and has remained so ever since. In recent years the bridge has experienced a massive increase in traffic as populations and business in the mines and Gwanda Town grow.

Every politician who has sort election to Gwanda Central House of Assembly seat has used the construction of a new bridge over the river as a campaign story and none has ever made any effort towards the construction of the bridge.

Again comment could not be attained from Mr Edison Gumbo the Member of Parliament for Gwanda Central as his mobile phone was not reachable.