Newly revamped Kwekwe roads fall into decay

SEVERAL roads in the mining town of Kwekwe are littered with potholes, giving motorists torrid times with the rainy season having worsened the situation.

Some of the roads which were recently rehabilitated under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP1) developed potholes and have become a nightmare for motorists.

Some contractors who were engaged in road works did a shoddy job resulting in their contracts being terminated by the Government.

Kwekwe City Council recently introduced a 2 percent roads levy, which ideally is supposed to be channelled towards road repair and maintenance.

While major tarred roads have become an eyesore and impassable, the situation is even worse in newly established suburbs where there are gravel roads.

Some residents are failing to access their homes due to the poor state of the roads.

Kwekwe City Council has resorted to filling the potholes with gravel which gets washed away in the event of rain.

Kwekwe Ratepayers and Residents Development Association (KRRDA) chairperson, Mr Alex Mwafumbika said roads in the city are an eyesore and urged council to address the challenge.

"We do not have roads in Kwekwe except in the city centre. Every road is an eyesore, especially in Msasa where motorists are having problems navigating to their homes. All the major roads including those that were recently rehabilitated have become a death trap for motorists," he said.

"We call upon the local authority to intervene by rehabilitating all roads. Some people have actually decided to park their vehicles due to the bad state of the roads."

Kwekwe town clerk, Dr Lucia Mnkandla said they have a plan in place to address the challenge.

She, however, could not be drawn into divulging further detail.

"Yes, we have plans for road rehabilitation," said Dr Mnkandla.

She is on record saying that most of the roads in Kwekwe have outlived their lifespan.

In 2019, the then Kwekwe mayor Angeline Kasipo announced that the local authority had introduced a two percent road levy to improve the state of the roads.

Works committee chairperson, Councillor Joshua Tinago recently told a full council meeting that his department was being "neglected" and was incapacitated to repair the roads.

"We have been calling for a council meeting to adopt a resolution for the release of funds by our finance department, but the council has been turning a blind eye to our request. At the end of the day, we are the ones who are being blamed for not doing a good job," he said.