The rehabilitation of the strategic Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road has come under renewed scrutiny after road users and legislators complained that construction activity has virtually ground to a halt, with the government attributing the slowdown to funding constraints while promising contractors will return to site this month.
Concerns over the state of the highway were raised in Parliament recently by Lupane East legislator Phathisiwe Machangu, who said motorists travelling the entire stretch from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls had not seen any evidence of ongoing roadworks despite previous government assurances that rehabilitation was underway.
“Nothing is happening on that road now,” Machangu told Parliament.
“You travel from Bulawayo to Lupane and there is not a single construction vehicle. You proceed from Lupane to Jotsholo and there is not a single construction vehicle there. Further towards Hwange, there is complete abandonment.”
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The Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road is one of Zimbabwe’s busiest transport corridors, linking the country’s second-largest city to the Victoria Falls tourism hub while also serving mining operations, freight transport and communities across Matabeleland North.
Responding to the concerns, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona acknowledged progress on the project had slowed but said this was due to financial limitations rather than abandonment of the works.
Mhona explained that the 440-kilometre Bulawayo–Victoria Falls section was initially part of a larger public-private partnership (PPP) project extending from Beitbridge to Victoria Falls, covering nearly 750 kilometres.
However, because of the deteriorating condition of the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls stretch, the government decided to prioritise urgent rehabilitation while broader funding arrangements were pursued.
“We engaged eight contractors, where each contractor has about 50 kilometres,” Mhona said.
The transport minister said some works were taking place on diversions away from the main carriageway, meaning motorists travelling on the highway might not easily notice construction activity.
He added that about nine kilometres of rehabilitated road had been opened to traffic some few weeks ago after vehicles had been temporarily diverted during construction.
Nevertheless, he conceded that inadequate funding had significantly affected progress.
“This is one of the stalled projects that I was talking about,” Mhona said.
He noted Parliament had allocated the equivalent of only US$150 million for road works across the entire country this year, an amount he described as insufficient given Zimbabwe’s infrastructure needs.
“You gave us US$150 million and if we just apply it to that road, it is inadequate,” he said.
The minister said the funding shortfall had forced the government to explore alternative financing mechanisms, including PPPs and loan facilities.
“I am happy that this is one of the roads that we have earmarked and now we have funding to continue the works,” Mhona said.
“Watch the space and as we move towards August, you will see massive rehabilitation again. Those contractors will be mobilised again to their various sections.”
While the government says construction will soon accelerate, communities along the corridor say the prolonged delays have had serious consequences beyond deteriorating road conditions.
Abednico Siazyaba Mwembe, a concerned citizen from the affected area, said traffic diversions introduced during rehabilitation had disrupted public transport services for several rural communities.
He said buses and heavy trucks have, at times, been diverted through Hwange National Park via Main Camp and Dete instead of using the main highway.
The diversions, he said, have effectively cut off communities including Dopota, Lupote, Sianyanga and Nabushome from regular bus services for almost a year.
“At some point buses and trucks crossed Mabale and were diverted into Hwange National Park via Main Camp to Dete,” Mwembe said.
“This has left communities at places like Dopota, Lupote, Sianyanga and Nabushome stranded, with no buses for close to a year now. The situation is dire.”
The Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road has long been regarded as a priority infrastructure project because of its importance to tourism, regional trade and domestic travel.
However, repeated delays and intermittent construction have frustrated motorists, transport operators and businesses who rely on the route.
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