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Leonard Ncube

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TOURISM guides, under the banner of the Zimbabwe Tourism Guides Association (ZTGA) in Victoria Falls, have started repairing damaged sections of the Victoria Falls-Kazungula Road.

ZTGA heeded President Mnangagwa’s call for the private sector to partner Government on infrastructure development and mobilised resources to rehabilitate the road that links the tourism destination to Botswana, complement efforts being made by the Second Republic on economic transformation.

The guides are working with Lunyalalo Trust and Vapositori for Economic Development and Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development. Initially, the ZTGA wanted to rehabilitate the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls

Road from Cross Mabale in Hwange to Victoria Falls and then to Kazungula border with Botswana.

This came after realisation that some sections of the road had become impassable due to potholes which tourism industry players said had a negative bearing on the sector and image of the country.

The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road stretch from Cross Mabale to Victoria Falls is critical as it is used by operators to transport tourists from the resort city or from Botswana and Zambia to Hwange National Park and other attractions within the district.

The Government then instructed the ZTGA to concentrate on Victoria Falls-Kazungula Road as the Ministry of Transport has also started rehabilitating damaged sections of the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway.

Work is underway to fill potholes and re-do some damaged sections of the highway. ZTGA chairman, Mr Francis Nyabadza, said work is ongoing despite limited

response from the corporate world and community. He said it was worrying that only 16 people are participating in the project despite it being aimed at helping the tourism industry.

“We have covered a significant portion of the road and we will finish up next week,” said Mr Nyabadza.

He was grateful to some companies that donated material and equipment.

“I would like to give a big thanks to three big companies and four indigenous that donated towards our project. Unfortunately, only 16 people, a majority of them from the Ministry of Transport and two guides participated.

“We look forward to mobilise more material for us to complete our project. Our biggest challenge is that Zimbabweans are not united. We need to love one another and love our country because no one can come to build it for us, instead other countries are making themselves rich using our own resources,” said Mr Nyabadza.

He said the dangerous state of the road and President Mnangagwa’s call through the philosophy “Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo” had inspired them not to wait for Government to rehabilitate the road.

ZTGA had hoped to mobilize 50 guides to provide labor free of charge for the project.

-@ncubeleon