Bulawayo - Victoria Falls Road broken promises

Nearly a year after authorities pledged to fully rehabilitate the key highway linking Bulawayo and Victoria Falls within 10 months, progress on the project has fallen far short of expectations, sparking concern among motorists, tourism operators and political leaders.

According to updates from Zimbabwe's Ministry of Transport, less than 50 kilometres of the road have been rehabilitated since the project was announced last June, raising serious doubts about whether the government will meet its early April completion deadline.

The highway is a critical economic corridor connecting Bulawayo to the country's premier tourism hub, Victoria Falls. However, travellers are currently taking up to ten hours to complete the journey—more than double the usual travel time - because of the road's deteriorating condition and ongoing construction disruptions.

Joseph Bonda, the Member of Parliament for Hwange East, criticised the slow progress, saying motorists are being forced to use extremely long and inconvenient detours.

"Few detours have been released and some of them are still not functional," Bonda told reporters.

"The detour from Dete to Hwange Safaris is too long; the road used to be 15 kilometres but now it has been stretched to about 70 kilometres."

Bulawayo-based politician and academic Samukele Hadebe warned that the government could take years to finish the rehabilitation if the current pace continues.

"The road was in very bad condition and if the rehabilitation is to be effective then good work must be done," Hadebe said.

"The stop-start approach to road construction has not been good or cost effective either. It results in poor workmanship and low levels of durability."

Meanwhile, David Coltart, the mayor of Bulawayo, has called on authorities to publicly explain the delays and provide an update on the project's status.

"Last June the government said that the @CityofBulawayo to Victoria Falls road would be rehabilitated within 10 months. The end of that 10 month period is early April. Can we be advised of progress?" Coltart wrote on X.

However, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo defended the project, saying the government was satisfied with the work completed so far.

"We told them (contractors) to start with patching of potholes since the road was damaged by rains," Moyo said.

"The contractors have not shifted their target; but we think that due to the rains, they may be forced to add more months to complete the project."

Moyo did not provide a new completion timeline.

Tourism industry players warn that prolonged delays could hurt visitor numbers to Victoria Falls, one of Africa's most popular travel destinations, especially if the road remains difficult and time-consuming to navigate.