$1,5bn released for roads rehab

Treasury has released $1,5 billion from this year's National Budget for roads rehabilitation, as the Second Republic continues to ensure roads are trafficable after damages caused by heavy rains that hit most parts of the country.

Briefing journalists after yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, said $1 billion had been released towards the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP2), while $500 million goes to the District Development Fund (DDF) to respond to weather-related emergencies.

She said Cabinet also received the ERRP2 Progress Report as presented by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is the Chairperson of the Enhanced Cabinet Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management.

Significant progress was achieved in implementing the ERRP2 on the repair and construction of drainage structures, as well as the reclamation of gullies and the repair of wash-aways, where the percentage completion of works exceeded 70 percent, said Minister Mutsvangwa.

"Cabinet reports that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has since released $1 billion from the 2022 Budget to ERRP2, and a further $500 million to DDF to facilitate response to some of the weather-related emergencies," said Minister Mutsvangwa.

"With a view to address the issue of poor workmanship, the Programme Steering Committee intends to initiate remedial training for project supervisors and managers through the ERRP 2 National and Provincial Technical Committees.

"The nation is advised that the periodic visits by the Steering Committee Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Teams to the provinces and districts were invaluable in galvanising road authorities into action to achieve the desired results. The visits will continue in 2022."

Cabinet has since approved that Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution closely monitor local authorities in their areas of jurisdiction, with a view to ensuring that all of them support, rather than stifle the implementation of central Government programmes and projects. It also approved that investigations be conducted in situations where funds utilised do not reflect progress on programme implementation, that remedial training for project supervisors and managers in the provinces be resourced and conducted urgently to ensure that proper standards are maintained, and that the Programme Steering Committee works closely with ZIDA and Zinara to ensure that the Transport Infrastructure Investment Indaba is held in the first quarter of this year.

Zinara has indicated that it would disburse $16 billion to the country's four road authorities for roads rehabilitation.

The money would be disbursed to DDF, the Department of Roads under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, and rural as well as urban local authorities possibly from next month, after rains subside.

On February 9 last year, Government declared the state of all roads a national disaster, giving impetus to the operationalisation of the ERRP2.

President Mnangagwa said ERRP2 was critical given that roads were intricately linked with the economy, both within the country and beyond.

He added that a good transport network was an important cog in the realisation of an array of the sector priorities and objectives outlined in the National Development Strategy 1, in Zimbabwe's march towards Vision 2030 of an empowered upper middle income economy.