EDITORIAL COMMENT: Only qualified contractors must be awarded tenders

BCC ON CITY ROADS

Infrastructural development is one of the key components of the country’s economic development blueprint, Zim-Asset. It is because of this realisation that government is spending billions of dollars on infrastructure development.

Among the major infrastructure projects that government is undertaking is the upgrading of the country’s road network. The Zimbabwe National Competitiveness Report released recently noted that among the shortcomings that are making Zimbabwe unattractive to Foreign Direct Investors is the deteriorating state of the country’s roads and railway infrastructure. This, according to the report, has resulted in high costs of transport.

The government has already started upgrading its road network as part of measures to address the shortcomings noted in the report. The rehabilitation of the 820km Plumtree-Mutare Highway at a cost of $206 million is almost complete and work will soon start on the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Road which again will cost millions of dollars.

On Wednesday, President Robert Mugabe commissioned the Harare International Airport Road, a confirmation that government is committed to ensuring that all important roads in the country are upgraded. The government is also upgrading its airports such as the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport in Bulawayo and the Victoria Falls Airport in Victoria Falls town.

These major infrastructure projects cost a lot of money and therefore there is no room for shoddy work. We fully agree with President Mugabe that sub-standard work should not be allowed on such big projects. “Clearly infrastructure development is expensive, hence whenever we undertake such projects we must demand that the product be of high quality, durable and give us value for money,” said Cde Mugabe.

It is unfortunate that major defects have been noticed soon after completion of some of the major projects which means the projects are not of high quality and durable. Those awarding tenders for such big projects should therefore take seriously Cde Mugabe’s directive that only qualified contractors should be engaged.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has already confirmed that there was poor workmanship during the rehabilitation of the Plumtree-Mutare highway hence the contractor has been asked to re-do various sections of the highway at its own expense.

We, however, disagree with Deputy Minister of Transport, Cde Michael Madanha, that there was proper supervision during the rehabilitation of the highway. The defects that have been noted confirm lack of supervision which should not be allowed in future.

The highway is just one of the many big projects where contractors have done shoddy work. We want to implore those responsible for awarding the tenders to ensure only qualified contractors are engaged while responsible government departments should supervise the work.

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