Mudenda's toll gates call backfires

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda has come under heavy criticism following his call for the installation of more tollgates in Matabeleland North, a region long plagued by poor infrastructure and chronic underdevelopment. Addressing a pre-budget seminar in Bulawayo recently, Mudenda urged the Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry to introduce additional tollgates as a way to boost revenue for road rehabilitation.

He proposed that the Bulawayo-Hwange route should have five tollgates, while the stretch between Cross-Dete and Binga should have two.

The remarks immediately triggered backlash from political leaders, civil society actors, and residents who argued that Mudenda had once again shown insensitivity to the plight of the province. Critics said it was ironic that he had remained largely silent on the long-standing developmental challenges in Matabeleland North, yet was quick to support measures they said amounted to extracting more money from already marginalised communities.

Mthwakazi Republic Party leader Mqondisi Moyo accused Mudenda of failing to use his powerful national position to champion the needs of his home province. He said communities in Matabeleland North continue to live without clean water, quality healthcare, functioning roads, or meaningful economic participation, yet the Speaker appeared more concerned with increasing tolling points.

Moyo also said Mudenda's silence on the Gukurahundi massacres in Matabeleland and the Midlands was further proof that he had abandoned issues of justice and regional equity. He described the call for more tollgates as "selective economic exploitation" of a province whose resources have been used for decades to develop other regions.

"His proposal, framed as a fundraising initiative, highlights a government mindset more focused on extracting money from Matabeleland than developing it," Moyo said. "It is deeply disheartening that Mudenda, himself from the region, finds comfort in proposing additional tollgates on roads that remain among the poorest in Zimbabwe - roads that have symbolised the physical and economic marginalisation of Matabeleland for decades."

He said Matabeleland North, despite being one of Zimbabwe's richest provinces in natural resources - including coal, methane gas, timber, gold and wildlife - remains among the least developed. He added that the province is home to major tourism assets such as Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park, yet the wealth they generate is not reflected in local infrastructure or livelihoods.

Educationist and Gukurahundi survivor Ben Moyo shared similar concerns, saying the tollgate system lacks transparency and does not benefit the communities where the money is collected. He called for full devolution of tollgate revenue.

"I think the fewer the tollgates the better, because we do not even know where the money generated by those tollgates is going," he said. "Funds generated by tollgates in a certain province must be ploughed back into that province in full. Right now, the centralisation of the collection and disbursement of funds is not fair."

Former Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo also criticised Mudenda's stance, saying the proposal was misplaced and failed to address the underlying needs of the region. Mudenda, now Zanu-PF's secretary-general, is the most senior politician from Matabeleland North and is expected by many to be a champion of development for the province.

As the country heads toward the 2025 budget cycle, residents and local leaders fear that the latest proposal signals yet another missed opportunity to address decades-old grievances around marginalisation, underinvestment, and the equitable use of resources.