By Staff Reporter
MASVINGO – Just two months after its grand commissioning, the newly opened
Mucheke Bridge is showing worrying signs of failure. Visible cracks, broken edges, and
a widening gap on the bridge’s approach are fueling concerns that the structure was
rushed to completion, despite warnings it had failed critical compaction tests earlier this
year.
Photographs taken this week reveal a longitudinal crack on the bridge’s entrance side,
from the roundabout, a significant structural detail suggesting that the ground supporting
the approach road is settling and shifting.
The damage includes a clear separation between the road surface and the bridge deck,
raising urgent safety questions for the thousands of motorists who daily use the key
crossing.
This comes after TellZim News exclusively reported in January 2026 that the bridge had
reached 93percent completion but was grappling with funding delays and, crucially, “failed
compaction tests”.
At the time, Masvingo Deputy Provincial Roads Engineer, Shadreck Kativhu, was forced
to acknowledge the setback during a media tour.
“The other issue is that some tests did not pass as required and we have redone. Once
there is a snag, then we have to redo the work and corrections, then proceed to the
next,” Kativhu had stated.
The compaction test failure was a serious red flag. It indicated that the embankments,
the layers of soil and materials built up to support the bridge approach, had not been
sufficiently compacted to meet required standards.
Authorities at the time downplayed the issue, assuring the public that corrective works
were underway and that the bridge would be ready by the end of February 2026.
However, those assurances gave way to further silence as deadlines came and went
without the bridge opening. The project, initially expected to be completed in late 2025
after construction began in August 2022, was finally opened on April 30, 2026, rushed
to meet a state commissioning date after months of delays.
Now, despite the government’s claims of project success, the evidence of the original
compaction failure is becoming undeniable.
The current damage is visible on the entrance side of the bridge, while the town side
appears intact a least for now.
Contacted for comment on the latest development, Kativhu told TellZim News that he
was unaware of the damage and promised to check.
“I wasn’t aware there was such a development. I will go and see what is going on at the
site. I am currently out of town and will be back before end of day and will check,” said
Kativhu.
When contacted for comment by TellZim News, ProStruct Consulting Engineers
representative Kudakwashe Dzimati attempted to dismiss the fears, saying the gap was
not worrisome, and that gap filling was yet to be done despite the commissioning of the
bridge.
“The gap is not something to worry about; the gap filler is yet to be filled.”
Yet when pressed for an explanation on how the bridge was commissioned before the
expansion joint was put in place, Dzimati distanced himself from the crisis, saying he
was not the right person to comment.
“I cannot comment more on the bridge; I do not comment on behalf of the government.
Engineer Kativhu should comment on that,” said Dzimati.
