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Zanu PF Conference puts spotlight on potholed highway
2 hrs ago |
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A STALLED rehabilitation project on the Harare–Chirundu highway has become an unexpected headache for Zanu PF, with Mashonaland West Senator Prisca Mupfumira demanding urgent action less than a month before the ruling party's national conference in Chinhoyi.
Mupfumira, a former Cabinet minister, raised the issue in the Senate, describing the highway as being in an "extremely poor state" and warning that delegates travelling from Harare could face serious safety concerns.
The 23rd Zanu PF National People's Conference is scheduled for October 12 to 17 at Chinhoyi University of Technology, with Mupfumira saying the limited accommodation available in Chinhoyi meant many delegates would have to commute from Harare.
"We have less than a month before the conference," she said, calling for an "urgent, practical solution" to the state of the highway.
The political pressure comes after rehabilitation works launched at Mapinga reportedly failed to make significant progress.
Mupfumira said the local community had welcomed the project when it was launched, anticipating employment opportunities and broader economic benefits from the rehabilitation works.
However, the apparent lack of progress has now become a concern for the ruling party itself as it prepares to host thousands of delegates and other participants in Chinhoyi.
The Harare–Chirundu highway is a major route linking Harare with Mashonaland West and the Chirundu border post, making its condition important not only for conference traffic but also for commerce and regional connectivity.
Mupfumira also raised concerns over the wider deterioration of the Karoi–Chirundu section, saying the state of the road was affecting regional connectivity and tourism.
With less than a month before the conference, the event has effectively placed a deadline on authorities to address a rehabilitation project that Mupfumira says has stalled.
The issue also highlights the broader challenges facing the rehabilitation of one of the country's key transport corridors, with communities and road users continuing to bear the consequences of deteriorating infrastructure.
Mupfumira, a former Cabinet minister, raised the issue in the Senate, describing the highway as being in an "extremely poor state" and warning that delegates travelling from Harare could face serious safety concerns.
The 23rd Zanu PF National People's Conference is scheduled for October 12 to 17 at Chinhoyi University of Technology, with Mupfumira saying the limited accommodation available in Chinhoyi meant many delegates would have to commute from Harare.
"We have less than a month before the conference," she said, calling for an "urgent, practical solution" to the state of the highway.
The political pressure comes after rehabilitation works launched at Mapinga reportedly failed to make significant progress.
Mupfumira said the local community had welcomed the project when it was launched, anticipating employment opportunities and broader economic benefits from the rehabilitation works.
However, the apparent lack of progress has now become a concern for the ruling party itself as it prepares to host thousands of delegates and other participants in Chinhoyi.
The Harare–Chirundu highway is a major route linking Harare with Mashonaland West and the Chirundu border post, making its condition important not only for conference traffic but also for commerce and regional connectivity.
Mupfumira also raised concerns over the wider deterioration of the Karoi–Chirundu section, saying the state of the road was affecting regional connectivity and tourism.
With less than a month before the conference, the event has effectively placed a deadline on authorities to address a rehabilitation project that Mupfumira says has stalled.
The issue also highlights the broader challenges facing the rehabilitation of one of the country's key transport corridors, with communities and road users continuing to bear the consequences of deteriorating infrastructure.
Source - ZiFM Stereo
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