Pothole riddled Harare-Chirundu highway, set for rehabilitation as motorists` dice with death.

Elvis Dumba

Makuti- Motorists plying the Harare- Chirundu Highway say they are dicing with death navigating the pothole riddled highway.

Motorists who spoke to this publication say navigating the roads has become more dangerous especially when it is raining.

"The road is bad to drive on especially when it`s raining.

 “The stretch of the road between Lions Den up to Karoi is now heavily potholed, such that its now rare to go through that section of the road without having tyre punctures." Mariko Sibanda a truck driver said.

Nearly every day, somewhere along the highway there will be a vehicle with a tyre related breakdown, caused by potholes.

"The road is in bad state and we are just dicing with death everyday as we drive through this road as the potholes are just everywhere" Sakile Mutepfa said.

Although the Department of Roads have been filling some of these pot holes with gravel, as a stop gap measure the initiative is short lived due to the incessant rains.

"We are appealing to the responsible authorities to quickly attend to the potholes along the Chirundu Highway as it is so bad and it does not augur well with the road`s economic significance, as it is the getaway to Africa" Methembe Reza a haulage trucks owner, which ply South Africa -Democratic Republic of Congo route, said.

In 2022 government declared all roads, as `in a state of disaster`, and set up an emergency road rehabilitation program.

Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Felix Mhona said government is set to commence works on the Harare-Chirundu Highway, rehabilitation and expansion project, soon.

Speaking during a CEO RoundTable Meeting in Harare,Minister Mhona said Infrastructure development is the hall mark of the second republic as the government is set to start work on the Harare-Chirundu Highway rehabilitation project.

" We are going to start the rehabilitation works on the Harare-Chirundu Highway, as well as Chirundu Border Post, so that it mirrors Beitbridge Border Post" he said

Minister Mhona said contractors who rehabilitated Beitbridge-Harare Road will be the same contractors who will work on Harare-Chirundu Highway.

" We are going to continue with the same contractors who did the Beitbridge-Harare stretch, because it`s the same road, as the second republic take infrastructure development as its hallmark"  Minister Mhona said.