DDF to gravel 600km

THE District Development Fund (DDF) is rehabilitating over 600 kilometres of gravel roads in the province to ensure the smooth movement of election material, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) officials said ahead of the July 30 harmonised elections.

This will also help facilitate movement of food relief to areas that perennially experience shortages like Mola in Kariba district and some parts affected by drought.

Provincial administrator Mrs Cecilia Chitiyo confirmed that the distribution of food relief has started in parts of Kariba district, Mhondoro, Kadoma and Makonde district.

“There are areas like Kariba especially under Chief Mola which need food relief because people there hardly grow crops owing to wild animals,” she said.

“We are also distributing food to some parts of Mhondoro, Kadoma and Makonde district where people were affected by drought caused by heavy rains, which were followed by a dry spell.”

Mrs Chitiyo said bad roads in areas like Mola and Gache Gache were hampering the distribution of aid.

Meanwhile, the DDF is currently attending to the affected roads and others in the province ahead of the harmonised elections.

Works include completion of construction of several bridges and the 450-metre drift in Mukohwe Valley, Makonde district where vehicles could not manoeuvre the steep and slippery gradient.

Ambulances and other vehicles struggled to ascend or descend the valley area cutting out the community from basic services.

In an interview yesterday, DDF provincial coordinator Mr Erikano Chikande said some of the works, to ensure that roads are trafficable, have been completed while others are nearing completion.

“We are maintaining our roads to ensure that they are accessible in preparation for the harmonised election on July 30, 2018,” he said.

“The programme is targeting critical roads. Some have been completed including Mubaira-Chegutu Road where we have done about 30km of re-gravelling. Our work is to ensure that all areas are accessible.”

“At least 440 metres have been covered on the Mukohwe Valley drift with only 10m remaining.”

The projects, he said, are ongoing in all the province’s seven districts.

Mr Chikande said some of the major works are being carried out in Kariba district to facilitate distribution of food aid to areas identified by Government to be in need.

“There are communities in Kariba that are in dire need of food and the work that we are doing will help ensure that relief gets to the affected areas,”

DDF will soon start work on the Jongola road, which is in a bad state.

“We are deploying dozers and graders soon to start work on the rehabilitation of Jongola Road in Kariba district, which will also help in ensuring that food relief gets to the intended people,” he said.