Zimbabwe’s infrastructure is crumbling around us, and ordinary citizens are paying the price.
We see it on our roads, in our hospitals, water systems, schools, electricity infrastructure and public transport. Tragically, we have now seen the consequences of ageing and inadequate infrastructure on our waters.
The Lake Kariba ferry disaster, in which more than 44 people lost their lives after a passenger ferry capsized, has brought this crisis into sharp focus. Reports indicate that the vessel was carrying more than 135 passengers, despite having a maximum capacity of 90, when it overturned in rough conditions.
The tragedy raises a fundamental question: For how long will we continue operating ageing infrastructure, patching problems when they become emergencies and waiting for disasters before we act?
We cannot continue this way.
A country cannot develop when its roads deteriorate, hospitals struggle with basic infrastructure, public transport is unsafe and critical equipment is allowed to operate beyond its useful life.
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Infrastructure is not a luxury. It is the foundation of a functioning economy and a dignified society.
Good roads connect farmers to markets. Good hospitals save lives. Reliable water systems protect public health. Safe boats connect communities that have no alternative means of transport. Modern electricity infrastructure powers industry. Properly equipped schools prepare children for the future.
When these systems fail, the economy suffers and people suffer with it.
The Kariba tragedy is particularly painful because water transport is not simply a tourism convenience. For communities around Lake Kariba, where road access can be difficult, boats can be an essential lifeline.
No one is coming to save us
But waiting for someone to come and rescue Zimbabwe is not an option.
We must be honest with ourselves.
Government has the primary responsibility for providing and maintaining public infrastructure. But citizens also have a role to play. We cannot simply wait for government to solve every problem while our communities deteriorate around us.
Communities can organise. Businesses can contribute. Engineers can provide technical expertise. Universities can offer research and innovation. Zimbabweans in the diaspora can invest. Professional bodies can conduct independent assessments. Local authorities can work with residents.
Government, meanwhile, must create a framework that allows these efforts to complement—not replace—its responsibilities.
Zimbabwe needs a national infrastructure partnership involving government, the private sector, professionals, communities and the diaspora.
Let us stop making everything political
Everything in Zimbabwe eventually becomes political.
But a broken road does not ask whether a person is Zanu PF, CCC or politically independent.
A patient lying in a hospital bed does not care which political party built the hospital.
A child travelling to school does not care which politician promised to repair the road.
And a passenger boarding a ferry simply wants to know one thing:
“Am I safe?”
These are Zimbabwean problems. They require Zimbabwean solutions.
We need a national infrastructure audit
Government should urgently undertake a comprehensive audit of the country’s critical infrastructure.
Every major road, bridge, hospital, school, water system, dam, railway line, ferry and public transport facility should be assessed and given a condition rating.
We need to know:
* What is safe?
* What requires urgent rehabilitation?
* What needs replacement?
* What can be maintained?
* What will it cost?
* Who is responsible?
* When will the work be completed?
That information should be publicly available.
Zimbabweans have a right to know the condition of the infrastructure they depend on and how public money is being spent to maintain it.
We have the skills
Zimbabwe is not short of engineers, architects, technicians, project managers, academics, entrepreneurs and other professionals.
Many highly skilled Zimbabweans work outside the country because opportunities at home are limited.
We should bring them into the national conversation.
Instead of continually relying on imported solutions, we should mobilise Zimbabwean expertise to design, build and maintain Zimbabwean infrastructure.
We should manufacture more of what we need locally, train more artisans and technicians, support local engineering companies and encourage young Zimbabweans to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Government must be held accountable
Citizen participation cannot become an excuse for government to abandon its responsibilities.
Government collects taxes and controls substantial public resources. It therefore has a constitutional and moral responsibility to provide safe and functional public infrastructure.
Where infrastructure projects are funded, Zimbabweans deserve answers about the money spent, contractors appointed, timelines agreed and work delivered.
Accountability must be at the heart of infrastructure development.
We cannot keep announcing new projects while neglecting the infrastructure we already have.
This is our country
Zimbabwe belongs to all of us.
We cannot continue watching our infrastructure deteriorate while waiting for the next election, the next donor, the next loan or the next politician to promise salvation.
The Lake Kariba tragedy should therefore become more than a moment of mourning.
Let it become a turning point.
Let us build a Zimbabwe where a passenger can board a ferry knowing it has been properly maintained and is safely operated.
A Zimbabwe where a patient enters a hospital knowing the building and equipment are fit for purpose.
Where a driver can travel across the country without fearing the condition of the road.
Where communities have reliable water.
Where schools are safe.
Where infrastructure is maintained before it becomes a disaster.
Our government may have failed us in many respects, but Zimbabweans must not fail Zimbabwe.
We must come together—not as political parties, but as citizens—to identify our problems, demand accountability and, wherever possible, participate in building solutions.
Zimbabwe is our home. Its roads are ours. Its hospitals are ours. Its schools are ours. Its lakes and boats are ours. Its future is ours.
And if we do not act now, who will?