ZINARA to borrow $50 million for road repairs

Zimbabwe has mobilized $14.5 million out of the $100 million it needs to urgently repair its road network damaged by heavy rains, Transport and Infrastructural Development minister, Joram Gumbo has said.

The southern-African nation is currently experiencing above normal rainfall caused by Cyclone Dineo, which has damaged most of the country’s roads and bridges, particularly in the southern part of the country.

Gumbo told journalists that up to $100 million was required to carry out the emergency repairs.

“The Ministry of Finance has to date raised $14.5 million of the $100 million that is required for the emergency road repair programme, and this is being availed to all the road authorities- Department of roads, Urban Councils, District Development Fund (DDF) and Rural District Councils (RDCs),” he said.

“The Zimbabwe National Road Authority (ZINARA) will also contribute $50 million to the financing, they are approaching the banks for loans.”

Gumbo said some of the work is expected to start as soon as the rains stop.

He later told Parliament that the ministry also had $5.5 million worth of bitumen at the Beitbrige Border Post from Japan to be used for road construction.

He said “all rural roads in the country are a state of disaster,” and that his ministry is also looking at assisting the City of Harare to rehabilitate urban roads that are severely potholed due to incessant rains that worsened the potholes.-The Source

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