By Beverly Bizeki
Masvingo residents slammed Citycouncil for years of neglecting road maintenance especially in high density suburbs where some roads have become almost impassable following the heavy rains received this season making it difficult for motorists to navigate.
Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance (MURRA) spokesperson Godfrey Mutimba criticized the local authority for failing to address the long-standing issue.
“Council must improve the quality of road construction and maintenance. This is a recurring problem, every rainy season we see more potholes because they fail to conduct timely and durable repairs. They often do temporary and substandard work, using soil to fill potholes, which gets washed away with the rains,” said Mutimba.
A local resident Selestino Mutuna said the poor state of the roads was putting children at risk, as drivers now frequently veer onto sidewalks to avoid potholes.
“Motorists are avoiding Nyadzonya and Mugagao streets in Mucheke altogether because the potholes are just too many. This poses a danger to children playing nearby the roads as cars often have to veer off the road to evade the potholes. This has led to conflicts among motorists who are forced to share the limited drivable space.
“Even if there are no resources, it might be better for council to remove the remaining tar and level the roads as dust roads,” said Mutuna.
Another resident, who chose to remain anonymous, accused council of neglecting infrastructure while focusing on less urgent matters.
“Our council always finds resources for chasing vendors around, but somehow there are never resources for crucial infrastructure like roads,” said the resident.
Masvingo Mayor and ward 4 councilor Alec Tabe acknowledged the dire situation and said the local authority was in the process of acquiring a grader for road works.
“We are aware of the situation in residential areas, and our engineering team is already working on it. We have noted particularly bad conditions in Mugagao and Maokomavi,” said Tabe.
Frustrated residents have turned to a ward 2 WhatsApp group to appeal for intervention from their local councilor.
“Our plea is for the councilor to help. These roads have been neglected for close to 20 years since we started developing these stands. They’ve never been serviced and are now full of holes. We are struggling to use our vehicles,” said one resident.
Ward 2 councilor Benson Hwata acknowledged the problem and said they had challenges with getting a grader for the repairs.
“Our main challenge is the unavailability of a grader. Once we secure one, we will begin road repairs. The roads are in terrible condition and full of potholes,” said Hwata.
