MUTARE mayor Tatenda Nhamarare has bemoaned the paltry $55 000 allocated to the local authority by the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) towards rehabilitation of the city’s potholed roads and drainage system.
CLAYTON MASEKESA OWN CORRESPONDENT
MUTARE mayor Tatenda Nhamarare has bemoaned the paltry $55 000 allocated to the local authority by the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) towards rehabilitation of the city’s potholed roads and drainage system.
Nhamarare told NewsDay that the money was too little as the city required about $300 000 for the exercise.
“As council we want about $300 000 to embark on road rehabilitation in the city. We bear with our residents and motorists for the bad roads, but, as council we are looking forward to receiving more allocation from Zinara in order for us to repair the roads,” Nhamarare said.
“We are now calling for more road maintenance money from Zinara.
“The money that we are receiving from Zinara for road maintenance is too little compared to the revenue we used to get when councils used to collect licence fees for motor vehicles.”
He said last year council received $28 000 from Zinara for pothole-patching and this year it received $55 000 for drainage clearance.
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Nhamarare said they would soon appeal to Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene to intervene and push Zinara to avail more resources.
He said council’s depleted coffers could not fund road maintenance programmes.
“We need a lot of money for road maintenance in Mutare, more than what we have been getting.
“The bottom line is that the Zinara funds we are receiving are peanuts and something needs to be done to get the message across.
“As a result we end up borrowing and channelling money towards road maintenance, but this also hits back at us indirectly because that money would have been meant for wages among other important council business,” Nhamarare said.
Zinara last week came under attack after the Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Obert Mpofu accused its management of corruption.
Nhamarare told NewsDay that the money was too little as the city required about $300 000 for the exercise.
“As council we want about $300 000 to embark on road rehabilitation in the city. We bear with our residents and motorists for the bad roads, but, as council we are looking forward to receiving more allocation from Zinara in order for us to repair the roads,” Nhamarare said.
“We are now calling for more road maintenance money from Zinara.
“The money that we are receiving from Zinara for road maintenance is too little compared to the revenue we used to get when councils used to collect licence fees for motor vehicles.”
He said last year council received $28 000 from Zinara for pothole-patching and this year it received $55 000 for drainage clearance.
Nhamarare said they would soon appeal to Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene to intervene and push Zinara to avail more resources.
He said council’s depleted coffers could not fund road maintenance programmes.
“We need a lot of money for road maintenance in Mutare, more than what we have been getting.
“The bottom line is that the Zinara funds we are receiving are peanuts and something needs to be done to get the message across.
“As a result we end up borrowing and channelling money towards road maintenance, but this also hits back at us indirectly because that money would have been meant for wages among other important council business,” Nhamarare said.
Zinara last week came under attack after the Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Obert Mpofu accused its management of corruption.
