Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
KANYEMBA – GOVERNMENT has resolved to conduct an emergency rehabilitation programme for the Angwa-Kanyemba Road which had fallen into a state of disrepair leading to the withdrawal of bus operators from the area.
The 90-kilometre stretch had become almost impassable, cutting off communities from essential services. The emergency works aim to restore connectivity to these isolated communities while long-term upgrades on the broader Harare-Kanyemba Highway continue.
A key stakeholder meeting held on Wednesday brought together officials from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), the Mbire Rural District Council, and contractor Exodus & Company. The parties resolved to begin interim works immediately, without disrupting the ongoing construction in Mazowe.
“The damage to the road from Kanyemba to Mahuwe is bad, and it is not only Mahuwe to Chidodo, so we got some interim solutions, which will help us such that those areas which had been isolated will be reachable, we have a clear plan in place. The Kanyemba family had become isolated,” a community member said.
“The Mahuwe Kanyemba road belongs to the Ministry of Transport, so as a council, our job is to help. We are very happy and we will assist in any way we can,” a Mbire RDC official said.
Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Christopher Magomo, confirmed that stakeholder collaboration has already mobilised resources for the emergency works, which are expected to commence in the coming weeks.
“We travelled to Kanyemba and saw that the road has become untrafficable. There are trucks breaking down along the road, and we also experienced challenges getting there, so we had to call for a meeting to come up with a way forward on how to rehabilitate that road. We are happy that stakeholders have come on board, and resources have been put in from different sectors, particularly for that road. As I speak, we mobilised a grader from RIDA, fuel from our safari operators in Mbire, we mobilised tipper trucks, and a backhoe loader. We also mobilised a grader,” he said.
The Harare-Angwa-Kanyemba Highway is a strategic corridor, recently granted National Project Status, and plays a vital role in unlocking the development potential of Kanyemba, as a tourism and agriculture to regional trade.
