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Gweru roads get facelift ahead of Mugabe rally

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ZANU PF Midlands province has engaged the Transport ministry to spruce up roads that will be used by President Robert Mugabe ahead of an interface rally scheduled to be held in Gweru on Friday.

ZANU PF Midlands province has engaged the Transport ministry to spruce up roads that will be used by President Robert Mugabe ahead of an interface rally scheduled to be held in Gweru on Friday.

by STEPHEN CHADENGA

Although the roads fall under the jurisdiction of Gweru City Council, employees from the ministry’s department of roads have been working round the clock since Monday to resurface the road from the Mtapa Cemetery roundabout to the Mambo suburb turnoff.

Mugabe is expected to visit Mambo Secondary School, where he was once a teacher in 1954, when it was still a primary school.

Roads leading to the venue of the rally, Mkoba open space, are also expected to be repaired before the Zanu PF leader’s visit.

Gweru residents yesterday said they were surprised to wake up to a repaired Mtapa Cemetery roundabout to the Mambo turnoff road.

“I was surprised to wake up today (yesterday) to find the usually potholed road from Mambo suburb turnoff in a better state,” James Chisako from Mambo suburb said.

“We had got used to council just patching potholes, but for the first time, this section of the road has been resurfaced.”

Other residents said they wished the roads would always be serviced instead of just waiting for the President’s visit to put them in shape.

Last month, First Lady Grace Mugabe and Zanu PF youth league leader Kudzanayi Chipanga castigated Marondera Town Council for rushing to repair its potholed roads ahead of Mugabe’s rally in the town, accusing the local authority of covering up for its shortcomings.

Midlands provincial administrator Abiot Maronge last Friday told the ruling party’s provincial co-ordinating committee that transport had been mobilised for the rally, where at least 120 000 people were expected.

“We have at the moment secured 100 buses, 64 lorries and 20 kombis, which will be used to ferry people to the rally,” Maronge said.