Slow progress on Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road upgrade

Contractors working on the massive resurfacing and expansion of the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls highway say motorists will have to wait several more months before enjoying smoother and faster travel, as persistent rains continue to slow progress across multiple construction sites.

The sweeping reconstruction effort - involving eight contractors on the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls route and a public-private partnership operator on the new Lupane–Nkayi–Kwekwe corridor - is transforming Zimbabwe's western transport backbone. Once complete, the project is expected to boost tourism, ease freight movement and cut logistics costs. For now, however, work remains uneven and heavily dependent on weather conditions.

The Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road, a key tourism and freight link, is being rebuilt in 51km segments by companies including Fossil Engineering, Masimba Construction, Bitumen Investments, Tensor Systems, Asphalt Products, Bitumen World and Linash Construction. The full upgrade is scheduled for completion by December 2026.

Motorists, who initially welcomed the start of works in August, are increasingly frustrated as the festive season approaches with under 50km of the 440km route completed.

Fossil Engineering, responsible for the opening 51km segment, says it is still on track to finish by September 2026. The company has completed its first resurfaced portion and aims to add 9km by mid-February. It is also drilling boreholes and building maintenance houses as part of community development obligations.

Masimba Construction - tasked with 50km - hopes to deliver at least 10km by Christmas despite significant delays caused by persistent rainfall and trapped moisture in the base layers. Project manager Blessing Nhau said Friday that a 5km westbound section is stabilised and ready for priming, but moisture levels have taken "more than seven days" to fall to the required threshold.

"Our moisture levels are supposed to be 50 percent before priming and it has taken more than seven days to reach the required level," Nhau said during a media tour. He added that the underlying Kalahari sand formation "keeps moisture locked" and complicates drying efforts.

Masimba, which employs 74 workers - more than half from nearby communities - aims to prime 5km and complete surfacing within a week before moving to its next 5km stretch.

North of Lupane, Bitumen Investments has primed 5.4km set for commissioning by mid-December, with its full 51km allocation scheduled for completion by December 2025.

Tensor Systems expects to surface 5km before the Christmas break and remains on track to finish its segment by August next year.

Asphalt Products is widening its stretch from seven to nine metres. Sixteen kilometres are expected to be ready by February, with full completion set for August. The company is also drilling boreholes and providing pit sand to local schools for infrastructure projects.

In Hwange, Bitumen World is reconstructing and widening 32km to a nine-metre standard designed for heavy mining and tourism traffic. Under contract manager Engineer Leeroy Msindo, the company is installing a weighbridge and maintenance camps to enforce axle-load compliance.

Vehicle Inspection Department deputy director Eustina Nyathi has warned that inspectors will act against overloading trucks, amid concerns that coal hauliers are already damaging resurfaced stretches.

Linash Construction, one of two women-led contractors on the project, is responsible for 52km of widening and asphalt overlay. Director Elina Shoko says the company aims to complete 10km before year-end, with the full stretch scheduled for May 2026. Two resident engineers - Dumisani Shirichena and Adiola Kudzai Mudzingwa - are overseeing the work from opposite ends.

"There is no job solely made for men or women," Mudzingwa said. "What is required is mental strength, the right education, skill, determination and vision."

Syvern Pvt Ltd, another women-led contractor on a separate allocation, has opened 5km to traffic and is targeting full completion of its 51km portion by August 2026.

South of Lupane, the new 240km Lupane–Nkayi–Kwekwe Road is taking shape under a public-private partnership. Road Trackers, the PPP contractor, says 15km has reached subgrade level, with government targeting 60km over the next year. The corridor is expected to significantly shorten travel times between Harare and Victoria Falls.

Hundreds of workers have been hired across Lupane, Hwange, Lusulu, Cross Jotsholo and Nkayi, with Bitumen World alone employing 50 locals. Beyond road surfacing, communities are benefiting from borehole drilling, weighbridge construction, school support and the establishment of maintenance camps meant to prevent rapid deterioration.

Tourism operators believe the upgrades will result in shorter, more reliable travel, while freight operators anticipate fewer breakdowns and tyre blowouts.

For now, however, motorists heading to Victoria Falls or travelling through Lupane and Nkayi must navigate diversions, earth-moving equipment and heavy machinery - the visible signs of what may be Zimbabwe's most ambitious road reconstruction effort since independence.