Govt leaves road unsafe, claim

BY MXOLISI NCUBE

KEZI

Zimbabwe attained its independence from Britain 28 years ago, but for the people of the Matobo and Kezi districts, in the southern parts of the country, the fruits of that self-rule have been negligible.

The most glaring evidence of the Government’s failure to develop the area is the rundown state of the only road that directly links the two districts to the Matabeleland regional capital – the Bulawayo-Kezi Road.

After years of neglect, the road is more like a dried-up riverbed than a thoroughfare. Yet, this 160km road passes through the Matopos Hills, a World Heritage Site candidate, and the huge Rhodes Matopos National Park. It is also the gateway to the famous Ndebele rainmaking shrine, the Njelele – another tourist attraction that is now unreachable.

David Ncube, a headman at Halale village, uses the same road to get to Kezi, the area’s district headquarters, and Bulawayo.

“The only notable development to the road was evidenced in 1997, when some white proprietors of Camp Amalinda, which is about 10km from the Matopos research station, widened and tarred the road that leads to the camp, to attract tourists to book at their place. The Government has only cleared the roadside and brought quarry stones towards election time, as a means of trying to garner votes,” said Ncube, during an interview with The Zimbabwean recently.  

Several public transport operators that used to ply routes along the road, including the Government-run Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO), have pulled out in the past decade, due to the damage the state of the road has done to their vehicles, leaving only two buses servicing the road.

“We had top companies like Phumulani, Phelandaba, Chawasarira, Ajay, Shu-shine, ZUPCO and Countryboy, among several others, which used to ply this route, but they have all pulled out due to the unserviceable road,” said Wovi chief Malaki Masuku.

As a result of the boycott by the transport operators, the villagers, like those in the Zhangashanka, Njelele and Malundi villages who used to have a ZUPCO bus plying their route, now have to walk more than 25km to get to the nearest bus stop at Natisa business centre.

The villagers also have to pay through the nose for the short distances they travel, as the two transport operators and private vehicles take advantage of the desperate villagers, charging as much as Z$250m for even a distance of 60km.

Ironically, President Mugabe, who has made sporadic visits to the district to campaign for his party and himself, has flown in by helicopter rather than use the roads.

“This to us clearly shows that the Government knows how this road is and will not develop it any time soon. Mugabe wants to continue using the road to campaign for his party,” fumed Nkululeko Donga, a local villager.

Moleck Ncube, whose transport company used to service the road, added: “Every time our buses travelled along that road, we would record at least three punctures and other defects and it became non-viable for us to remain there. The road has no shoulders and vehicle tyres are easily pierced by the sharp edges. That is the main reason why we pulled out. There are many customers there, but I do not think that we can go back soon,” he said.

Matabeleland South Governor Angeline Masuku rubbished the claims that the area was deliberately being overlooked by Government, saying a lot had been done.

“We are committed to developing the whole country and would not overlook any area as long as it is in Zimbabwe. The Government has already begun upgrading the road you are talking about,” she said.