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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
THE rehabilitation of the 113km Lutumba-Tshikwalakwala road which had not received attention for the past 30 years is nearing completion, Beitbridge District Administrator Simon Muleya said yesterday. He said the major road which is important in promoting tourism in the Greater Limpopo Trans frontierConservation Area had become impassable and was repaired after Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Joram Gumbo and State Security Minister Kembo Mohadi intervened.

The Zimbabwe National Road Aaministration, the District Development Fund and the Beitbridge Rural District Council are jointly working on upgrading the road.

“We’re very happy with the work on the ground. This is one of the key roads in the district which cuts across Beitbridge East Constituency. The road serves as a link to people living in the area with Beitbridge town and Chiredzi district,” Muleya said.

“The bad state of the road was affecting monitoring of government programmes and the movement of grain and had also triggered perennial transport shortages.”

Muleya said horticulture farmers in the district were also finding it hard to transport their produce to Beitbridge urban due to the poor state of the road. He said resources were also being mobilised for the construction of another bridge in Tshikwalakwala area to link Chiredzi and Beitbridge district.

“The bridge was swept away by floods in 2013 and since then it hasn’t been repaired,” said the DA. Beitbridge Rural District Council acting chief executive officer, Peter Ncube, said the road would serve eight key business centres and two major irrigation schemes Tshikwalakwala and Tshamaswiswi.

“Great progress has been made and at the moment workers are busy clearing side bushes along the road to enhance visibility. As a council we’re in the midst of re-gravelling other major roads such as the Sentinel –Shashe and the Mtetengwe Roads. These should be complete in two weeks,” said Ncube.

Recently, Cde Mohadi who is also the MP for Beitbridge East said the Lutumba-Tshikwalakwala road was important in driving economic activities in the district.