BEITBRIDGE Town Council has threatened to approach the Zimbabwe National Roads Authority (Zinara) over alleged non-remittance of toll fees collected from the New Limpopo Toll Bridge since 2014.
The Beitbridge and Musina communities were supposed to receive at least 15% of toll fees collected from the bridge in accordance with a deal struck between former Transport minister Obert Mpofu and his South African counterpart Dipuo Peter, when the two countries took over management of the bridge from a private company, New Limpopo Projects in July 2014.
But since then, Beitbridge said it has not received its promised allocation of the funds. “We will follow up the issue with the relevant authorities,” Beitbridge town secretary Loud Ramakgapola said last week.
He said he only became aware of the existence of the fund during a recent stakeholders meeting to discuss the proposed one-stop-border-post Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Ramakgapola said unlike earlier reports that Zinara was not giving them funds, the council was actually receiving some money from Zinara being used for roads development.
Beitbridge residents told a delegation led by the Industry and Commerce ministry officials how they were bitter about not benefitting anything from the toll bridge.
— Own Correspondent
