GOVERNMENT, through the Ministry of Transport, has reportedly set aside over $500 000 towards rehabilitation of the Robert Mugabe Highway, which leads to the Zanu PF leader’s rural home in Zvimba communal lands.
Zvimba Rural District Council chief executive officer Peter Hlohla told NewsDay yesterday that the Transport ministry was resurfacing the Robert Mugabe Highway using funds sourced from the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara).
“That is a national road, it is being it is being resurfaced by the Ministry of Transport using Zinara funds. As Zvimba Rural District Council, we are not involved in that project,” he said.
Zinara board chairperson Albert Mugabe said he was in a meeting and could not take calls, while Transport minister Joram Gumbo was unavailable.
The road, which last had a facelift in 2010, is currently undergoing massive resurfacing from Norton to Murombedzi business centre, with insiders saying the project was being coordinated by senior officials from the Ministry of Transport.
This comes at a time most of the country’s road network is in a poor state and when the ruling Zanu PF is pushing to have Mugabe’s rural home declared a national monument in honour of the veteran politician.
Most of the country’s roads are in a state of disrepair and have become death traps following years of neglect and increased traffic volumes. Government recently acknowledged that 30% of the country’s road network requires rehabilitation, while the remainder needs periodic maintenance.
Last year, Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that the ruling Zanu PF party had initiated plans to declare Mugabe’s rural home a national monument.
“We know the President’s mother, Bona, used to cook for President Robert Mugabe at her rural home in Zvimba and, therefore, our party’s department of environment and tourism has seen it fit to honour the homestead,” he said then.-Newsday
