THE government has said it is working with universities to develop cheaper, locally made road maintenance chemicals after legislators flagged the strain imported materials are causing on foreign currency reserves.
Zimbabwe’s rural road network spans approximately 61 000km, making up more than 70% of the country’s entire road network.
While the government is actively funding the rehabilitation and maintenance of these feeder roads, many rural areas still struggle with unpaved and deteriorating roads, especially following heavy rains.
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) has allocated increased funding, including disbursements through the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP).
Zinara supports 76 maintenance units nationwide and recent projects include the rehabilitation of the Nkayi-Bulawayo Road and feeder structures in Buhera and Chipinge.
Due to equipment shortages and funding backlogs across various rural district councils, authorities are urging local communities to leverage traditional collaborative labour systems for small-scale, community-level maintenance.
However, Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Felix Mhona told Parliament this week that the cost of imported chemicals was a major barrier to road repair.
“The challenge with this chemical is that it is primarily sourced from other countries, requiring us to use foreign currency, which makes it difficult to obtain these chemicals at lower prices,” he said.
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To cut costs, Mhona said the ministry was collaborating with local universities to come up with alternatives.
“We are actively collaborating with universities to develop solutions to assist us in improving our roads.
“We will continue doing some research. If we get something, we will notify you.”
The issue arose as legislators pressed Mhona on the poor state of rural roads, with Shamva North legislator Isaac Chinodakufa asking what measures the government had put in place to fix roads damaged by heavy rains.
Rushinga legislator Tendai Nyabani questioned why roads gravelled several years ago had deteriorated to impassable level.
“I want to know what measures have they taken with the roads that were gravelled several years ago. Right now, it is sand… when it is rainy season, some cars fail to pass,” Nyabani asked.
The minister was asked whether contractors had an obligation to restore roads they used as detours.
Mhona responded that Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 will equip each province with its own machinery and promised to rehabilitate the dilapidated roads.
“Each province will have its own machinery for road rehabilitation, ensuring that equipment is readily available,” he said.
He confirmed that contractors should restore roads used as detours.
“Whenever we adapt to using the existing road, we make sure that soon after… we have to put it back to the status quo.”
