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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

Beitbridge municipality has started installing standard road signs which conform to set Sadc guidelines as part of the local authority’s efforts to transform the town into a medium city.

Finance committee chairperson, Councilor Granger Nyoni said that council had budgeted for 510 road signs to be installed in the CBD and suburbs.

He said so far they have received 279 road signs which they started installing in the CBD on Thursday.

“We have a budget for 510 road signs which are compliant to Sadc standards and so far we have received 279,” said Cllr Nyoni.

“Workers from our works department are already on the ground putting up these signs which include; regulatory, warning and informative signs.

In addition, efforts are underway to make sure we take delivery of the remainder and were looking at installing the first batch in our roads in the next four weeks. The program is going to take a long time since we are working with skeleton staff as part of our efforts to comply with the national responses to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

He said besides enhancing road safety they the signs will help them reorganize the state of affairs in the town.

Cllr Nyoni said they will also be working on streets and suburbs signage.

He said it was very critical for the local authority to provide a well-organized and safe road network in line with the town’s rapid growth.

“Our town is developing at a tremendous speed and we need to make sure that we put all necessary systems that come with its urbanisation. This year we are looking at finishing up the road signs and naming of streets and suburbs,” said Clr Nyoni.

He said resources were being mobilised to modernise the time which is a pre-face to those entering from South Africa.

Some of the proposed suburbs names include; Dulivhadzimu (rank area and Mashakada business centre), Limpopo View (Low Density west of the border), Tshidixwa (Old Medium Density), Kwalu 1 and Kwalu 2 (Shule Shule, SDP and Mfelandawonye), Matibe (Low Density east of CBD), Vhembe View (Old Low Density), Madinginye (New Stands) and Tshitaudze (Ma Two Rooms and Mbedzi and Mangavha area).

Beitbridge town was upgraded into a municipality in 2018 and has an estimated population of 70 000 people and an additional 13 000 transient daily population.

In addition, over 2000 light vehicles, 200 buses and 600 haulage trucks pass through the town daily.