Poor roads and faulty traffic lights put Bulawayo residents at risk

City councillors in Bulawayo have raised the alarm over the worsening state of roads and malfunctioning traffic lights, warning that deteriorating infrastructure is putting the lives of motorists and schoolchildren at risk.

The issue highlighted in the latest council report, where several councillors called for urgent repairs, increased community involvement in pothole patching, and improved road safety measures across the city.

Ward 25 Councillor Aleck Ndlovu said large, dangerous potholes had become common in residential areas like Nketa 7 and 9, and urged Council to supply decomposed gravel so that residents could carry out basic repairs themselves.

“There are extremely dangerous potholes in my ward. We need decomposed gravel, and our community is ready to patch them,” said Ndlovu.

Similar concerns were raised by Ward 28 Councillor Ntandoyenkosi Ndlovu, who described the state of Old Khami Road as “embarrassing” and proposed that the city’s special roads levy be redirected to fund emergency repairs.

“Old Khami Road is now in a very bad state. It is embarrassing for such a major road to have huge potholes,” he said, adding that other major routes like 3rd Avenue and Lobengula Street also needed immediate attention.

Ward 22 Councillor Mmeli Moyo questioned why community-based groups were not being actively engaged by Council to assist in road maintenance across all 29 wards.

In response, Acting Director of Works Ernest Mthethwa explained that while Old Khami Road had been taken over by the government, Council remained responsible for its maintenance. He said decomposed gravel was being used for temporary fixes but warned that widespread community engagement would be costly.

“Engaging community groups in all 29 wards would require 700 tonnes of tar and US$175,000 per month over three months,” said Mthethwa.

Mthethwa also confirmed that rehabilitation work on 3rd Avenue and Lobengula Street was scheduled to begin soon.

Meanwhile, Councillor Ndlovu voiced concern over the growing number of road accidents linked to malfunctioning traffic lights, particularly in high-density suburbs.

“Some cities have solar-powered traffic lights, like Mutare. A lot of accidents are happening at night. Students are dying in the high-density suburbs due to the lack of functioning traffic lights,” he said.

Chairperson of the committee, Councillor Royini Sekete, echoed the concern and urged Council to repaint speed humps along Luveve Road for visibility and install more traffic signals at strategic points. He also flagged challenges in implementing a planned traffic circle at the intersection of Masiyephambili and Old Khami roads near Nkulumane Mall.

Mthethwa said the traffic circle had not been included in the 2025 Council budget, citing lack of funds. He also attributed recent disruptions to the city’s traffic light system to an unannounced switch by ZESA from metered to pre-paid electricity.

“It had taken a long time to register the new pre-paid meters so Council could purchase electricity tokens. However, registration has now been completed,” he said.

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