Government has engaged seven more contractors to work on the rehabilitation of Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road.
The seven firms join Bitumen World, which was initially awarded the tender to work on the 435km road which leads to the country's premier tourism destination.
Under the new arrangement, which is similar to what is happening on the Harare-Beitbridge road where different contractors were engaged, each company will work on a 51km stretch.
In in an interview after commissioning the 230-metre long Somgolo Bridge in Lupanda Village, Lupane District on Friday, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Cde Richard Moyo said the companies were scheduled to start work last week, but were delayed by administrative issues.
"Cabinet agreed to engage seven more contractors to join Bitumen World and each company will rehabilitate a 51km stretch," said Minister Moyo.
He said the contractors will not be doing pothole patching, but will completely overhaul the badly damaged road, which has seen motorists who in the past used to take about five hours from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls now taking eight hours or more.
"The Government has resolved to reconstruct this badly damaged road like what is being done on the Harare-Beitbridge road, hence this time the work the companies have been engaged to do is not pothole patching. The road is worn out and the Government wants a complete overhaul," said Minister Moyo.
This busy highway is in a state of disrepair partly because of the increased number of haulage trucks and incessant rains.
"Work was supposed to start on April 3, but administrative issues delayed the programme," said Minister Moyo.
Developing a sound transport infrastructure is key to achieving the nation's vision of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
President Mnangagwa has already outlined the key infrastructural projects that his Government will undertake this year, which include the construction of roads and dams.
The Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls is one of the key priority projects given its economic impact as it connects local businesses with Southern African countries such as Zambia, DRC and South Africa.
The route is also a strategic access point to the country's tourist destinations such as the Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls.
Some sections of the highway are now littered with potholes making it difficult for motorists to navigate.
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The Government has said the permanent solution to fixing the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway is to do a complete reconstruction like what is being done on the Harare-Beitbridge road.
Last October, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said Cabinet had considered and adopted the proposed Public-Private Partnership between Government and Bitumen World for the immediate rebuilding of the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road.
The Second Republic, under President Mnangagwa, has continued to prioritise infrastructural development countrywide under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2) and various other initiatives, which have transformed the economy as well as creating employment.
The Second Republic has invested significantly in infrastructural development as a key enabler to economic transformation despite limited access to external lines of credit.
So far, more than 50 000km of roads have been rehabilitated, while 2 000 structures have been attended to since the start of the ERRP2 in 2021.
