KEY Matabeleland projects are set for completion by the end of the year following the injection of funds to speed up the process for some of the projects, NewsDay has learnt.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Richard Moyo told NewsDay that the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway and the Gwayi Shangani projects are progressing well with completion targeted for the end of the year.
“We expect to complete these projects by the end of the year following the disbursement of US$5 million for the Gwayi Shangani project,” he said.
“For the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, all eight contractors are on the ground. We expect to complete the project at the end of the year.”
Moyo highlighted that the challenge lies in slow disbursement of funds, which is affecting progress on the major projects.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association chairperson Stephen Nkomo said they would engage the government to speed up the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway.
“We are planning to engage the government over the issue, we are being deprived economically,” Nkomo said.
The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway is a massive 440km rehabilitation and widening project.
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With eight contractors on site, over 57km of the highway are complete and open to traffic.
The project, started last June, was supposed to be completed within eight months.
It is a vital economic and tourism corridor, with expectations for the creation of 2 000 jobs.
Most of the workforce is set to be recruited from communities located along the route, offering a significant economic boost to local areas.
Meanwhile, the Gwayi-Shangani Dam project is in the final stage of completion.
Official construction for the dam commenced in September 2004, with renewed, accelerated progress beginning around 2021.
BCC chairperson of the Future Water Supplies committee, Khalazani Ndlovu, said they had short-, medium- and long-term projects to bring water to the city.
“We are very patient since it’s a long-term project,” Ndlovu said.
“Short- and medium-term projects are being carried out to alleviate our water problems.”
