The Movement for Democratic Change has called on Zimbabweans to resist the government move to construct 32 additional tollgates to increase its revenue arguing that the money collected will not be used to improve the country’s roads but to pay civil servants’ salaries as well as to bankroll perks for ministers and deputy ministers.
Transport Minister Obert Mpofu said the government will introduce 32 new tollgates in addition to the current 24 to raise revenue from $132 million last year to $220 million this year. He said the first 10 should be operational before April.
“If people want roads to improve they must be prepared to pay so that we do the roads. We will not be deterred by some people in doing so just because they have complained. It is not popular decisions that should prevail always,” Mpofu said.
MDC spokesman Obert Gutu said Zimbabweans should resist the construction of the tollgates because the money would not be used to rehabilitate the country’s roads.
“Zimbabwe’s roads are now a death trap, mainly due to the failure by the ZANU-PF regime to properly and constantly maintain the country’s highways using money collected from the existing 24 tollgates,” Gutu said in a statement.
“Instead of maintaining the country’s roads using the tollgate fees, the rogue ZANU-PF regime diverts the money collected at the tollgates to pay civil servants’ salaries as well as bankrolling the wasteful expenditure of the bloated bureaucracy that includes several ministers and deputy ministers.
“The decision to construct 32 additional tollgates across the country is thus, solely meant to extort more money from motorists in order to fund Robert Mugabe’s extended holiday jamborees as well as to pay for his numerous overseas trips, mainly to the far East,” he said.
Full statement:
Wednesday, 07 January 2015
No to increase in tollgates in the absence of transparency, accountability
The MDC is appalled by the decision of the Zanu PF regime to roll out 32 additional tollgates across the country at a time when the majority of the people of Zimbabwe are living in abject poverty and squalor.
In 2014, the Zanu PF regime collected a total amount of US$132 million from the 24 tollgates that are already in place. It is abundantly clear that the sum of US$132 million that was collected in 2014 from the 24 tollgate has been misused and abused by the rogue Zanu PF regime. The country’s major roads remain in a dilapidated condition and indeed, there is no single tarred road in Zimbabwe that is not littered with huge potholes.
Motorists are called to pay money at the country’s existing 24 tollgates but apparently, the money is not chanelled to the intended purpose of road maintenance as well as road construction. Zimbabwe’s roads are now a death trap, mainly due to the failure by the Zanu PF regime to properly and constantly maintain the country’s highways using money collected from the existing 24 tollgates. Instead of maintaining the country’s roads using the tollgate fees, the rogue Zanu PF regime diverts the money collected at the tollgates to pay civil servants’ salaries as well as bankrolling the wasteful expenditure of the bloated bureaucracy that includes several ministers and deputy ministers.
The decision to construct 32 additional tollgates across the country is thus, solely meant to extort more money from motorists in order to fund Robert Mugabe’s extended holiday jamborees as well as to pay for his numerous overseas trips, mainly to the far East.
The MDC strenuously condemns the Zanu PF regime’s decision to construct 32 additional tollgates instead of using the money collected at the existing 24 tollgates to rehabilitate the country’s collapsed road infrastructure.
We have stated it before, and we repeat it here and now: that Zanu PF regime is not fit for purpose and that the people of Zimbabwe shall continue to wallow in poverty for as long as this corrupt and rogue regime remains in office.
The MDC calls upon the patriotic people of Zimbabwe to thunderously oppose and resist the proposed construction of 32 additional tollgates.
MDC: Equal opportunities for all
Obert Chaurura Gutu
MDC National Spokesperson.
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