'Zinara revenue insufficient for road maintenance backlog'

ROAD authorities must pursue other innovative strategies to fund the rehabilitation of roads as revenue from Zinara is insufficient to cover the maintenance backlog.

According to the Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry, at least $5 billion is needed to rehabilitate the country's roads while Zinara is mobilising less than $200 million per annum.

Addressing road authorities from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces on Friday, Minister Dr Joram Gumbo revealed that repayment of the $206 million loan secured from the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) for the Plumtree to Mutare highway project was taking up the bigger chunk of the Zinara revenue while administration costs like salaries and wages followed.

"Very little goes to road rehabilitation or maintenance and we still have seven more years to pay off the DBSA debt hence the need to find solutions and fight this disparity that exists. This is why we are urging road authorities to pursue other innovative strategies such as Private Public Patnerships where applicable and mobilisation of funds from local financial institutions," said Dr Gumbo, adding that other willing institutions with free funds could also direct them to revamping the road network.

He said most authorities were abusing the little of road funds that is being disbursed to them through Zinara, paying each other allowances at the expense of rehabilitating roads.

Dr Gumbo singled out Kwekwe municipality as well as Bulawayo City Council as being responsible and coming up with models that have enabled them to appropriate funds to their designated purpose.

"The roads in Matabeleland South and North are bad, where did you put the money that we gave you? The little that you get, where is it going?" he asked adding, "The business of giving each other allowances must stop, appropriate money where it should be appropriated to."

In 2015, Government through the Ministry of Finance crafted a policy framework on disbursement of road funds by Zinara prescribing 30 percent for routine maintenance and 70 percent for periodic maintenance. Dr Gumbo said this model would assist in ensuring that disbursed funds are channeled more to road rehabilitation, re-sealing and re-graveling.

Meanwhile, Dr Gumbo revealed that road authorities had exceeded the targets set out under the Infrastructure and Utilities Cluster in the Zim Asset blueprint. According to Zim Asset, at least 4 000 kilometres was supposed to be graded in five years.

"Cumulatively from 2013, we have graded in excess 70 000 kilometres of rural roads which is a major milestone," he said.

Dr Gumbo also said that the Road Condition Survey launched in April last year was now 85 percent complete and was set to be completed by next month. The survey is being funded by Zinara to the tune of $1,7 million.

"The major output from this survey is that Zimbabwe will have accurate statistics of the size of its road network, condition, updated road inventory and most importantly the cost of upgrading and rehabilitating the network to world class standards," he said.