Harare West roads to get much needed facelift

Harare West MDC-T legislator Jessie Majome has said the roads in her constituency are set to get a major facelift  based on the 2018 national budget.

According to the revised Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme in the 2018 national budget of Government 13 major roads in Harare West will be targeted for reconstruction by ZINARA at a cost of almost $US2 million.

"I believe this programme is a direct response to my ZINARA motion demanding that collection of vehicle license fees be collected by councils, instead of councils getting an allocation from ZINARA. The then Minister of Local of Government Kasukuwere declared Harare roads "a State of Disaster," she said .

"I have a keen interest in roads because it's an issue that grossly affects the lives of Harare Westerners. The collection of vehicle license disc was abruptly taken over by ZINARA, despite what the Local Gvt minister said in in response to my question last week Parliament (which I challenged) my knowledge there is no Act or Statutory Instrument that enforced it, it was just government interfering in MDC-T led councils. Instead ZINARA has been either buying snow ploughs or prioritizing rural local authorities."

"I will take the Ministers of Roads and Finance to task on why they prioritise rural areas yet 52% of the vehicle population is in Harare! Why should we always get the last lot? I will get a timeline as to when the roads will be attended to."

The list of road earmarked for rehabilitation are;
1. Avonlea Drive - Reconstruction 7km  $53 550
2. Lorraine Drive - Reconstruction 7km $119 000
3. Goodhope Road - Reconstruction 8km $136 000
4. Tynwald North Road - Reconstruction 6km $96 390
5. Elizabeth Windsor Road - Reconstruction 8km $176 324
6. Marlborough Drive - Reconstruction 8km $199 036
7. Suffolk Road - Reconstruction 8km $189 584
8. Harare Drive (Kirkman-Lomagundi) - Reconstruction 10 km $297 500
9. Quendon Drive - Resealling 7km $63 000
10. Bingley Drive - Reconstruction 7km $148 750
11. Ashdown Drive - Reconstruction 8km $81 600
12. Belfast Road - Reconstruction 7km $74 375
13. Gilchrist Road - Reconstruction 7km $226 100

"Already Lorraine Drive has been tarred, while Marlborough Drive (pictured here) is yet to get a new layer of tar though it was stripped a couple of months back. Other than the roads above which roads in Harare West (Mabelreign,Marlborough, Good Hope, Avonlea, Bluff Hill, Emerald Hill, Adylyn, Bloomingdale, Tynwald North, Nkwisi Gardens, Matidoda Park, Lenana Park, Westlea West,Madokero, Maranatha, Sanganayi Park ) need attention? I urge you to tell your council about those. My view is that sadly, until the transport minister heeds my pending Parliament motion and reverses the disastrous decision to give vehicle licence fees to ZINARA so that councils have roads maintenance money again our councils will continue failing to fix the roads you will mention. What is your take on this issue?" she said.