News / National
Collapsing Zimbabwe infrastructure reflects national decay
02 Mar 2021 at 01:43hrs | Views
YESTERDAY, we carried on our front page a picture of Mwaradzi Bridge in Headlands along the MayoChikore Road in Manicaland province which was swept away by rains at the weekend.
The Standard, had on Sunday also carried on its front page a picture of Kelvin South Road in Graniteside, Harare, riddled with potholes.
The pictures portray a country in pain and with no solution in sight.
What the pictures paint is replicated in all suburbs, industrial areas and communities. Development of a country is seen in its capacity to provide infrastructure including roads that are passable, potable water, functioning health delivery system and a whole lot.
The situation on the ground is so bad that those who wish Zimbabwe well keep wondering what the country will be looking like in the next five years if the rot goes unchecked.
It has become hell in this rainy season for motorists who negotiate these potholes on a daily basis and cross such bridges time and again.
Citizens can no longer enjoy driving around because of the state of the roads and all we get from politicians are attempts to score cheap political points while paying lip service to the crisis.
On the bridge in Headlands, we saw a high-powered delegation that included Transport minister Felix Mhona, his deputy Mike Madiro, Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Nokuthula Matsikenyere and the Transport ministry permanent secretary visiting the bridge to assess the situation.
Quite ridiculous for such a high-powered delegation in designer suits to waste resources just to go and assess the situation where engineers and adequate resources are what is needed to address the crisis.
The issue of bridges and roads is a reflection of failure by the government that has tried so hard to sell the narrative of enormous road projects on the highways.
Indeed, the government must be praised where praise is due but we now feel the national road project has so many untold stories of loot and plunder which are today's subject.
What is disheartening about the whole infrastructure crisis is the blame game between the local authorities run by the MDCs and the Zanu-PF government.
It is not only the roads and bridges issue that is of concern, illegal settlements have also become a problem in Zimbabwe. We have seen illegal settlements mushroom in Harare, Chitungwiza, Masvingo, Gweru and many others, which indeed is a cause for concern but who will take responsibility for this decay?
It is high time people stopped politicking and address real issues.
Zanu-PF promised to address all these issues when it was campaigning in 2018 and after it won, it shifted blame to the opposition.
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration is said to be disbursing funds to local authorities, but the local authorities say it is not enough.
Who then has the solution to the crisis?
The Standard, had on Sunday also carried on its front page a picture of Kelvin South Road in Graniteside, Harare, riddled with potholes.
The pictures portray a country in pain and with no solution in sight.
What the pictures paint is replicated in all suburbs, industrial areas and communities. Development of a country is seen in its capacity to provide infrastructure including roads that are passable, potable water, functioning health delivery system and a whole lot.
The situation on the ground is so bad that those who wish Zimbabwe well keep wondering what the country will be looking like in the next five years if the rot goes unchecked.
It has become hell in this rainy season for motorists who negotiate these potholes on a daily basis and cross such bridges time and again.
Citizens can no longer enjoy driving around because of the state of the roads and all we get from politicians are attempts to score cheap political points while paying lip service to the crisis.
On the bridge in Headlands, we saw a high-powered delegation that included Transport minister Felix Mhona, his deputy Mike Madiro, Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Nokuthula Matsikenyere and the Transport ministry permanent secretary visiting the bridge to assess the situation.
Quite ridiculous for such a high-powered delegation in designer suits to waste resources just to go and assess the situation where engineers and adequate resources are what is needed to address the crisis.
Indeed, the government must be praised where praise is due but we now feel the national road project has so many untold stories of loot and plunder which are today's subject.
What is disheartening about the whole infrastructure crisis is the blame game between the local authorities run by the MDCs and the Zanu-PF government.
It is not only the roads and bridges issue that is of concern, illegal settlements have also become a problem in Zimbabwe. We have seen illegal settlements mushroom in Harare, Chitungwiza, Masvingo, Gweru and many others, which indeed is a cause for concern but who will take responsibility for this decay?
It is high time people stopped politicking and address real issues.
Zanu-PF promised to address all these issues when it was campaigning in 2018 and after it won, it shifted blame to the opposition.
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration is said to be disbursing funds to local authorities, but the local authorities say it is not enough.
Who then has the solution to the crisis?
Source - newsday
