President Robert Mugabe is set to officiate at the ground breaking ceremony of the long awaited dualisation of Beitbridge-Chirundu highway.
The ground breaking which had earlier been set for the 2nd of May was postponed to the 18th due to reasons not yet known to 263Chat.
Addressing the 37th Independence celebrations, President Mugabe said the dualisation of the highway will unlock business opportunities for indigenous players in road construction, create jobs for youths, as well as offer several other downstream socio-economic benefits.
The tender for the dualization programme was awarded to an Austrian construction company, Geiger with 40% stake set for local companies who will supply quarry, labor and machinery.
According to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the dualization of Beitbridge-Chirundu highway is top on the govenment’s priority list.
Mnangagwa said government had so far raised and disbursed $45 million of the $200 million required for rehabilitating road infrastructure in the country.
“While we are happy about the good rains and the anticipated harvest this year, the resultant floods experienced during the 2016-17 agricultural season brought with them, extensive damage to roads and other social infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, forcing communities in some affected areas to be displaced,” Mnangagwa said.
Beitbridge- Chirundu highway connects South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia and the rest of the region and is one of the busiest roads in the country.
The country has an estimated total road network of 95,000 km, most of which require extensive rehabilitation and most of them have become a death trap to travelers.
