By Dennis Ndlovu I Zim GBC News
A new government initiative to tackle road defects has been met with scorn and frustration by residents in Matabeleland South, who say the policy completely misunderstands the scale of the infrastructural collapse in their region.
On Monday, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development launched dedicated provincial hotlines, urging citizens to report pothole and urgent road defects directly to engineers for swift intervention.
The move, framed as fostering public partnership, was touted as part of the government’s significant investment in the road network and its commitment to leaving no one and no place behind.
However, for a resident of Matobo District, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the announcement is a bitter irony.
“We won’t even talk about potholes because we don’t even have the roads themselves to begin with,” the resident told Zim GBC News.
The resident’s account paints a picture of infrastructural oblivion, starkly at odds with the ministry’s maintenance-focused hotline system.
“In Matabeleland, we have no roads, especially here in Matobo,” the resident stated, highlighting a deep-seated feeling of regional neglect.
The resident pointed to the key artery from Bulawayo to Maphisa as a prime example.
“It no longer exists; it has turned into a gravel road. We are asking for a proper road, yet they are just building us detours (strips).”
The resident’s frustration extends to the very engagement the hotlines seek to promote.
“But seriously, elders, must the state of the roads require us to keep pestering the Engineers in their offices?. As residents, all we need is implementation. We want to see the roads being fixed.”
The contradiction is stark. The government’s statement presupposes a functioning, classified network of roads in need of repair. In contrast, the Matobo resident describes a scenario where roads have functionally vanished, requiring not patching, but total reconstruction.
The Ministry’s statement provides direct contacts for all ten provinces. For Matabeleland South, the listed Provincial Roads Engineer is Eng. M. Nkomo, reachable at 0783 499 271. For Bulawayo Metropolitan, it is Eng. T. Nyikayaramba on 0716 389 676.
While the hotline system may be relevant for maintaining roads in other provinces, in parts of Matabeleland South, it highlights a fundamental disconnect. The policy addresses symptoms like potholes, while residents are calling for treatment of the disease: the absence of passable roads altogether.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to safe, reliable, and well-maintained roads for all citizens. But for the people of Matobo, the pressing question remains whether a hotline can bridge the gap between a plea for foundational infrastructure and an official response geared toward maintenance.
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