Residents in Ward 17’s peri-urban communities in Bulawayo have raised alarm over the deteriorating state of dust roads, warning that worsening conditions are increasingly isolating them from essential services.
Community leaders say the situation has reached a critical point, with ambulances now unable to access parts of the area, while bread delivery trucks have also stopped operating due to impassable roads.
CITE witnessed the extent of the damage on Wednesday during a visit by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU), which was distributing food and non-food items to residents whose homes were destroyed by recent rains.
Speaking to CITE, St Peter’s resident leader Reginald Mkhosana said the main access road has become severely degraded.
“The St Peter’s Road from Pumula right up to Khami Prison is seriously damaged. Vehicles such as ambulances and those delivering bread can no longer reach the community because of the poor state of the road,” he said.
Mkhosana added that the situation has also affected transport costs, with public commuter operators increasing fares.
“Public kombis have increased fares from US$1 to US$2, citing the condition of the road. This is affecting residents, including teachers who rely on this transport daily,” he said.
Another resident leader from Mazwi Village, Zvenyika Murapa-Moyo, said efforts by the community to mobilise support for road rehabilitation have so far failed to yield results.
“It’s been a painful issue in the community. Last year, as a development committee, together with the ward councillor, we engaged mining companies operating around us,” he said.
Murapa-Moyo explained some stakeholders had pledged support, however coordination challenges stalled progress.
“These mining companies offered transport to ferry sand, while Aggregate provided a grader. Council was supposed to supply the sand, but what was delivered was not sufficient,” he said.
He added that delays and inadequate material supply undermined the rehabilitation efforts.
“Hualin Quarry Mine was providing fuel, but unfortunately the council was not hands-on. I am not sure where we went wrong, whether we failed to bring all stakeholders together effectively to complete the work,” he said.
Murapa-Moyo also alleged that in some instances, the council failed to provide sand as expected, further frustrating community-led efforts.
Ward 17 Councillor, Sikhululekile Moyo, acknowledged the challenges, saying the local authority is working to address the situation through partnerships.
“We are finalising logistics and engaging partners to assist with road rehabilitation,” she said.
Moyo noted that council had already carried out resurfacing works on Khami Road between January and March 2026, which is a key public transport route in the area.
However, she said ongoing wet weather conditions are limiting the council’s ability to carry out temporary gravel works such as grading and pothole patching.
“We have redirected our efforts towards reconstruction, resurfacing and tar patching for now. We plan to resume gravel dumping and related works as soon as conditions improve, to avoid the need for repeated work,” said Cllr Moyo.
She maintained that the council remains committed to improving the road network in peri-urban areas.