Harare fails to procure tar, patches roads with soil

The City of Harare (CoH) has been without tar for over a year, forcing municipal workers to patch roads using soil and rubble, a stark indicator of the worsening state of basic service delivery in the capital.

Residents and motorists have for months navigated roads riddled with potholes and dust, as the council struggles to maintain residential road networks. The situation has been exacerbated by what the local authority says is insufficient funding from the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA).

During a recent full council meeting at the Town House, it was revealed that CoH has been unable to purchase tar—a critical material for proper road repairs—due to garnished accounts restricting its spending.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume condemned the current state of affairs, highlighting the embarrassment caused by the dusty and deteriorating roads. He said the council's efforts to patch potholes with dust were driven by financial constraints.

"Right now, I have messages from every government office in town. When they say the road is bad, people are going to pour dust. Everywhere, dust is being poured. We have money from City Parking and ZINARA that is being garnished in our bank accounts without buying tar. Look at the embarrassment—the whole town is dusty. This is because we are patching potholes using dust," Mafume said.

The council depends heavily on remittances from its subsidiary, City Parking, and funds from ZINARA, which are supposed to be allocated for road maintenance. However, these funds have been restricted, limiting the council's capacity to properly service roads.

Adding to the woes, the city's procurement department has cited delays in approval of purchases by the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) as another obstacle.

Meanwhile, Harare Councillor Denford Ngadziore accused council officials of dishonesty and mismanagement, alleging a corrupt system that prioritizes luxury purchases over essential service delivery.

"The challenge at the city council is that there is a cartel or a system that has to be broken. If we do not do that, we will not succeed. The management at one time bought themselves vehicles without any challenges. The challenge is, if we do not break that [system], we will remain in one place," Ngadziore said.

With residents growing increasingly frustrated by the poor road conditions, calls are mounting for urgent reforms and better resource management to restore Harare's crumbling road infrastructure.