By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI- There is little hope for the construction of the Chilonga bridge as the government through the Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Joshua Sacco said they had since identified four sites for the bridge and investigations to establish the most convenient one were underway.
Sacco was responding to questions raised by Chiredzi Central Member of Parliament (MP) Ropafadzo Makumire who quizzed him on when the government was going to address the Chilonga bridge issue that was causing the death of people every rainy season.
Makumire probed the minister to explain the delays in the rehabilitation of the bridge, which connects southern rural Chiredzi and Chiredzi Town, and to further explain when construction works on the bridge will resume.
“I want to ask the Minister whether we have a time frame for the completion of Chilonga bridge because it was washed away in 2000, and since then people from communities that are across the bridge find it difficult to access help from the other side,” quizzed Makumire.
Sacco responded saying they were doing investigations on the proposed sites and when done they would then request funds from the Ministry of Finance.
“My answer to Hon Makumire is that we have found proposed sites which we identified at the moment, we are looking at site 4 so that we investigate how much it would cost to put a bridge there.
“Those investigations will look at geological formations which will give us guidance on the amount of money that is needed for that bridge to be constructed. After those investigations, we will come up with an estimated cost and that is when we will look for that money from the Ministry of Finance so that our bridge will be built,” said Sacco.
Makumire also raised the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development to explain to the house the delays in the completion of roads in Chiredzi, particularly the Inyathi Road, and to further state when it is expected to be completed.
Sacco responded saying the contract was terminated after the contractor left the site over payments and showed no interest in coming back when the funds were availed.
“Under the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme Phase 2 (ERRP 2) which is being implemented through our Ministry, and whose mandate is to restore the navigability of roads, works are underway on the completion of Inyathi Road.
“To date the contractor has made significant progress on the project as the works were above 80 percent before being suspended.
“The works were suspended by the contractor who abandoned the site in July 2022 due to delays in payment of outstanding obligations.
“For the past few months the treasury has made significant efforts in clearing the outstanding payments but the contractor was not willing to go back on site, hence the contract was terminated mutually,” said Sacco.
Makumire however disputed that the works were ever on 80 percent.
Makumire asked when the government was going to put in place funds to rehabilitate Chivhu-Gutu/Chiredzi Road as well as the government policy on the deployment of dedicated electrical power lines to essential social services facilities like water treatment plants and government hospitals, in exempting them from load shedding to guarantee efficient and sufficient service delivery.
Chilonga Bridge plays a pivotal role in the development of Chiredzi District as it connects Chiredzi South with the Central Business District (CBD), creating the shortest route from Chiredzi Central to Maputo through Sango Border post in Chiredzi South, where Joey Sithole is the Member of Parliament.
The Chilonga causeway claims at least five lives each rainy season since 2000 when Chipinda Bridge was washed away by Cyclone Eline.
