Road development excites Chiweshe community
RESIDENTS of Chiweshe in Mazowe Central constituency are happy that road rehabilitation projects are being carried out in the area.
For years, transport providers avoided the area because of its impassable roads.
Under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme, the Government has rehabilitated the Glendale-Chiweshe Road that connects Chiweshe to Harare.
Access to Howard Mission Hospital, which is one of the largest medical centres in Mashonaland Central, has been improved through rehabilitation of the Gweshe-Howard and Musarara-Howard roads.
The Gweshe-Kanyemba Road has also been improved. The improvement will benefit tobacco farmers who use the road to take the golden leaf to auction floors in Mvurwi and Harare.
In addition, Mazowe Central National Assembly legislator Cde Maxmore Njanji has partnered with the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), formerly the District Development Fund, to rehabilitate feeder roads that connect to the highways in the constituency.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Cde Njanji stated that Chiweshe has seen significant road restoration this year.
“There has been a significant amount of work done in terms of grading, tarring and gravelling of roads in the constituency. We commend RIDA for the work they have done.
“They have the equipment, in the form of a grader. I have contributed by providing fuel to ensure the progress we are making on the road continues.
“We are working hard to have all of our feeder roads done. As we speak, the target is to have them complete before the rainy season,” he said.
Mr Gift Banda, who resides in Ruziwa village, Chiweshe, said in the past, they would walk several kilometres to access the Glendale-Chiweshe Highway but now, transport operators are able to come straight to his village.
“Our road network has really improved. In the old days, there was only one bus, Dzimbahwe.
“If going to Harare, you had to catch that bus at 5am.
“You woke up at 4am to prepare, then walk from the village to the bust stop.
“Nowadays, I can catch the bus at my doorstep.
“The number of buses operating in this area has increased as the roads are in a good state,” he said.
Mr Emmanuel Vheremu, a tobacco farmer, said transport costs have been reduced due to the upgraded road network.
“As farmers, we commend the rehabilitation of roads.
In the past, trucks used to charge us punitive rates to transport our tobacco.
“They said our roads damaged their vehicles.
“There were only a few transporters, but now we are spoilt for choice because the lorries are now competing for us. They are charging fairly,” he said.
Mr Joshua Katena of Kanyemba village, near Gweshe centre in Chiweshe, said: “We used to have cases of people dying, or women giving birth in pathways whilst on their way to Howard Mission Hospital. This was because transport was scarce due to the state of the roads. We thank the Government, the council and our Member of Parliament for fixing our roads.”