News / Local
Gold panners dig under the Beitbridge-Gwanda Highway
10 Jan 2024 at 05:53hrs | Views
MOTORISTS using the Beitbridge-Gwanda Highway have expressed concern over a huge crack which has appeared at the 141km peg.
The crack is believed to have been caused by gold panners who have reportedly burrowed under the highway.
A social media alert posted on several platforms in Matebeleland South province showed a long crack running from one side of the road to the other and merging with what appears to be a dug-out entrance into an underground tunnel.
"We have a very bad situation on the road servitude. Illegal gold miners have tunnelled underground across the road at chain age (sic) 141 along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road ," said a statement whose origins could not be verified.
"As a result, a crack that runs across the road has emerged. We are consistently monitoring the situation for the safety of motorists. If it gets worse, we may be forced to close the road."
The statement is accompanied by a short video clip showing the crack on the road.
Efforts to get a comment from Mandla Gumbo, the Matebeleland South province road engineer were fruitless.
The Beitbridge-Gwanda Road, which handles hundreds of vehicles daily, including heavy haulage trucks, was recently a hive of activity as thousands of Zimbabweans working in South Africa came home for the festive season.
The crack is believed to have been caused by gold panners who have reportedly burrowed under the highway.
A social media alert posted on several platforms in Matebeleland South province showed a long crack running from one side of the road to the other and merging with what appears to be a dug-out entrance into an underground tunnel.
"We have a very bad situation on the road servitude. Illegal gold miners have tunnelled underground across the road at chain age (sic) 141 along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road ," said a statement whose origins could not be verified.
"As a result, a crack that runs across the road has emerged. We are consistently monitoring the situation for the safety of motorists. If it gets worse, we may be forced to close the road."
The statement is accompanied by a short video clip showing the crack on the road.
Efforts to get a comment from Mandla Gumbo, the Matebeleland South province road engineer were fruitless.
The Beitbridge-Gwanda Road, which handles hundreds of vehicles daily, including heavy haulage trucks, was recently a hive of activity as thousands of Zimbabweans working in South Africa came home for the festive season.
Source - newsday
