The government has failed to meet its self-imposed deadline for the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road, with less than 50 kilometres of work completed nearly a year after the project was announced.
Last June, authorities promised that the critical highway linking Bulawayo to the tourism hub of Victoria Falls would be fully rehabilitated within 10 months, setting an early April deadline for completion.
According to the Ministry of Transport updates, less than 50 kilometres of the road have been rehabilitated since the announcement, leaving motorists and tourism operators concerned about the delays.
Travellers are taking nearly up to ten hours to reach Victoria Falls from Bulawayo, more than double the normal travel time, because of the poor state of the road.
Hwange East Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Bonda, lamented the slow progress for the road construction
“Few detours have been released and some of them are still not functional,” Bonda told Southern Eye.
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“The detour from Dete to Hwange safaris is too long; the road used to be 15 km but now it has been stretched to about 70 km.”
Bulawayo based politician and academic Samukele Hadebe said the government may take years to complete rehabilitating the road.
“The road was in very bad condition and if the rehabilitation is to be effective then good work must be done,” Hadebe said.
“The stop-start approach to road construction has not been good or cost effective either. It results in poor workmanship and low levels of durability.”
Bulawayo mayor David Coltart called on the government to provide a progress update on the stalled project.
“Last June the government said that the @CityofBulawayo to Victoria Falls road would be rehabilitated within 10 months. The end of that 10 month period is early April. Can we be advised of progress?” Coltart posted on X.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister, Richard Moyo, however said the government was happy with the progress.
“We told them (contractors) to start with patching of potholes since the road was damaged by rains,” he said when contacted for comment.
“The contractors have not shifted their target; but we think that due to the rains, they may be forced to add more months to complete the project.”
He did not clarify on the new completion deadline.
The road is a vital economic corridor, connecting Bulawayo to one of its premier tourist destinations.
Tourism industry players have warned that the unfinished road works could negatively impact visitor numbers heading to Victoria Falls.