Kwekwe road rehab commences after false start

Published: 02 July 2018

Road resurfacing in Kwekwe has begun after a long delay during which the contractor was locked in a bitter wrangle with the local authority over funding of the project.

N-Frasys, contracted to resurface more than 63 kilometres of Kwekwe's 33 roads, has confirmed that work has kicked off, with machinery having moved on site.

The company's projects coordinator, Mr Innocent Kwari, admitted that there have been differences with the local authority over funding for the project, but they had decided to use their own funds, which will be repaid by the local authority.

"We were facing challenges, but that has since been resolved and work is now in progress," he said. "We have moved to the sites and we are already looking to start work on the Mbizo Road, one of the busiest roads, before we move to other roads."

Kwekwe Town Clerk Mr Emmanuel Ngwena Musara blamed the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) for delaying the commencement of the work by not releasing the funds. The project was initially scheduled to start in April.

"The problem is with ZINARA who are failing to own up to their promise and there is nothing we can do about that," he said.

"We could have been somewhere by now, in fact we could have completed the programme because the contractors are raring to go, but they cannot do so before the funds are released."

Mr Musara said contrary to some media reports, the local authority was yet to receive even a single cent from ZINARA for the purposes of road rehabilitation, save for empty promises.

"For the record, we are yet to receive money from the road authority as we read in some sections of the media," he said. "All they do is to promise that they will give us so much, which they never fulfil."

In a recent full council meeting, Kwekwe Mayor Councillor Matenda Madzoke demanded answers on what was stalling the project and blamed the contractors for sleeping on duty.

"As far as I am concerned, we engaged N-Frasys because they were well resourced and they had the capacity to carry out the task even before the funds are released," he said.

"But I am shocked that to this day nothing has been done."

The local authority engaged N-Frasys for the rehabilitation of more than 63 kilometres of road across the mining town. Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Owen Ncube officially launched the rehabilitation programme in Mbizo after ZINARA promised to fund the project to the tune of $2,3 million.

But two months down the line, the project, originally earmarked to last three months, is yet to kick off, much to the chagrin of anticipating residents and motorists.
- th eherald

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