Masvingo – Beitbridge Road contractors abandon sites

Contractors working on the dualisation of the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway have suspended operations and withdrawn workers from some sites over non-payment by the Government, raising fears that completed works could be damaged during the coming rainy season.

The development was revealed by ProStruct Consulting Engineers representative Kudakwashe Dzimati during a tour of Government projects in Masvingo and Chivi districts by senior officials yesterday.

Dzimati singled out Masimba Construction, one of the major contractors on the highway project, saying the company abandoned its site and sent workers home on July 2, 2026.

ProStruct Consulting Engineers is providing consultancy services on Government infrastructure development programmes.

Dzimati warned the delegation, which included Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Masvingo Ezra Chadzamira and National Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Secretary Fananai Madambi, that urgent measures were needed to protect work already completed before the onset of the rainy season.

He said failure to secure the sites could result in significant damage and further delays to the major road project.

Among the works considered vulnerable are the Chimusana Bridge across the Mucheke River in Masvingo, an interchange near Masvingo Polytechnic and road construction and expansion works near Panyanda Lodges.

"It is critical and our desire is that we protect these works before the rainy season. We had serious issues at Panyanda detour during the last rainy season," Dzimati said.

He said contractors had initially planned to complete their respective works before the rains, but funding constraints had disrupted those plans.

"The main challenge is funding, and that's what is causing contractors to suspend works; otherwise, we were geared to complete works at Chimusana Bridge by December," he said.

The suspension of work comes as the Government continues to push the dualisation of the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway, one of the country's major transport corridors linking Zimbabwe with the region.

Madambi said the issue would be raised with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion in an effort to secure funding and prevent further delays.

"It's not a good story because when people talk of the Beitbridge-Harare Road. What we can talk of is the Harare-Chirundu road because it's supposed to be one project covering from Chirundu to Beitbridge," he said.

"We will discuss with the relevant Ministry. We expect to be reading from the same page when we say Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo."

Officials are now faced with the challenge of ensuring that the affected sites are protected while efforts are made to release funds to contractors and resume construction.

The latest disruption could further delay completion of sections of the highway, with engineers warning that exposure of unfinished works to heavy rains could increase costs and prolong the construction programme.