Zimbabwe races to revamp roads ahead of Sadc summit

Philemon Jambaya

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Zimbabwe is gearing up to host the Southern African Development Community Summit in August, and roadworks are a major focus.

The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration is collaborating with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, along with Treasury, to ensure key roads leading to the summit venue in Mount Hampden are completed on time.

Zinara board chairperson, Dr. George Manyaya, assures that while collecting road funds is their core function, disbursement is also crucial.  “We are working tirelessly to secure adequate funding,” he said to ZBC News, “to beat the deadlines for the summit, alongside our ongoing national road rehabilitation projects.”

Dr. Manyaya emphasised that current roadworks won’t impact funding for other projects. “Disbursement for ongoing approved projects continues unaffected,” he clarified.  “This Sadc summit project is separate.”

Records from Zinara show a disbursement of 235 billion Zimbabwean dollars for roadworks in the first quarter of 2024, highlighting their commitment to infrastructure improvement.