Poor road infrastructure in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb is hampering access to essential services, with some residents forced to carry sick relatives to passable roads to access ambulance services.
The problem is particularly severe in areas around Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle, where years of incomplete infrastructure development have left some roads rocky, damaged or impassable.
The housing project was initially undertaken by the government before being handed over to the local authority to complete. However, the city council has repeatedly acknowledged that a lack of resources has hampered efforts to provide essential infrastructure, including roads and sewer systems.
Ward 15 councillor Ashton Mhlanga told CITE that the poor state of the roads was disrupting ambulance response, fire and rescue operations, and refuse collection.
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“There are no roads in some sections of Cowdray Park, especially around Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle. There are some roads that have rocks on them that need to be extracted to allow passage of vehicles. Some roads are just deplorable; they need to be fixed from scratch,” he said.
“When residents in these areas need ambulance services, they have to carry their loved ones to a point where there is a passable road so that they can get the assistance they need.”
Mhlanga warned that impassable roads could also prevent firefighters from reaching emergencies in time, potentially leaving homes to burn before help arrives.
He said residents were pinning their hopes on the proposed Kwangu/Ngakwami initiative, valued at about US$38 million, which is expected to address outstanding service delivery challenges.
Mhlanga added that the council had set aside land for a fire and ambulance station to improve emergency response in the area.
“The city council is trying too. We now have an area that has been set aside for fire and ambulances. For now, we would appreciate it if it serves as a makeshift station while plans are being finalised to make it a fully-fledged fire station that is closer to the people,” he said.
The concerns come amid wider complaints about the prioritisation of road maintenance in Bulawayo, with councillors questioning the focus on the central business district (CBD) at the expense of residential areas.
According to the latest council minutes, councillor Siboniso Moyo said residents had raised concerns about deteriorating roads in residential neighbourhoods, warning that the conditions were making it difficult for ambulances to reach some areas, particularly Cowdray Park.
She urged the Department of Works to prioritise patching severely damaged residential roads and ensure that unnamed roads were formally named.
Moyo also noted that gravel delivered to affected areas was sometimes stolen because no one had been specifically assigned to oversee its distribution.
Acting director of works Engineer Methusi Dibidi said road tarring had been suspended because of a lack of funds.
According to the minutes, the department would continue grading and maintaining roads, while prioritising pothole repairs on major routes with high traffic volumes and a greater risk of accidents.
Cowdray Park roads would also be attended to, with decomposed gravel supplied to temporarily fill potholes before the rainy season.
However, the interim measures leave residents facing continued difficulties accessing emergency and other essential services as they await more permanent road improvements.
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