Clive Thabo Dube
“Zimbabwean potholes will throw you from a backseat to a front seat of a car”, so goes an often-told joke which is not far fetched from the truth.
Zimbabwean roads have been neglected for decades such that central government declared a state of disaster on the country’s road network.
This declaration has seen the Bulawayo City council (BCC) fold hands on the repairs and rehabilitation of its inner city roads.
The state of the country’s roads could be the main contributor to the surge of road accidents.
As the citizenry closed the 2022 chapter, the toll on road accidents gave motorists and passengers grief.
According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) festive season road traffic accident statistics, 1 285 road traffic accidents were recorded of which 69 were fatal with 92 deaths and 333 injuries.
The ZRP has however placed blame on private motorists who are considered to be speeding and driving recklessly overlooking the disastrous state of the roads which are in an undesirable driving state.
Experts have condemned materials used to repair or resurface the roads as not durable and easily affected by rains.
“…the Police is concerned with the number of private vehicles involved in accidents during this holiday. Some of them will be overloaded while others are being used for purposes that are clearly not suitable for such use.” Reads part of the police statement.
In November last year, The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development during an “End of Year Strategic Planning Workshop Programme” held at a hotel in Bulawayo acknowledged that there is need to improve the country’s roads but little progress has been done ever since.
“We have prioritised and engaged ministers of the state and other stakeholders in various provinces to do a priority list of roads,” said Hon. Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Felix Tapiwa Mhona.
When asked about Luveve Road in Bulawayo which links Northwestern high density Suburbs with the city center that is in dire state and an eyesore to many, Hon. Minister Mhona stated that his ministry will act fast and accordingly to rehabilitate the road and the Bulawayo citizens will see corrective measures being taken.
“You will see corrective measures being taken, not necessarily on Luveve road only but other roads such as Bulawayo- Nkayi road, Bulawayo-Tsholotsho, Gwanda- Maphisa just to mention a few…we are here to serve and we act accordingly to satisfy the needs of the citizenry,” he said.
Luveve road is still the same and has further deteriorated.
In as much as the drivers will be blamed for reckless driving and encroaching onto oncoming traffic, they encroach onto the other lane in avoidance of potholes.
“The roads are bad, when you are driving you will have to constantly swerve from one side to the other in avoidance of large chunk of potholes,” said one motorist George Ndlovu.
A drive around the Western Areas of Bulawayo will provide one with roads that have been neglected by an uncaring local council and the central government.
Other feeder roads that connect suburbs with main roads are worse off.
An example will be the roads network of around Thorngrove’s Renkin area, Makokoba the whole suburb, Mzilikazi, Entumbane’s Nketa Drive, Mpopoma the road leading to Western Commonage Magistrate Courts, Nkulumane the road that passes through Bullet Shopping Center.
The list is endless.
Ward councilors as well and Members of Parliament have been found wanting as the areas they represent sink into abyss of being run down.
Efforts to obtain comment from relevant authorities was fruitless as their cellphones were not being answered while Council offices were closed because of the New Year holidays.