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Felex Share in Harare and George Maponga in Masvingo
President Mugabe is expected to officially launch the $1 billion Beitbridge-Harare and Harare-Chirundu highways dualisation project tomorrow, in a development likely to reduce carnage along one of Zimbabwe’s busiest roads.

The road will also boost trade on the continent, as well as unlock value for the country.

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces will commission the official start of the dualisation project at a ground-breaking ceremony that will be held along the highway at Chaka business centre in Chirumhanzu.

Geiger International of Austria was contracted by Government to dualise the highway under a 25-year Build Operate and Transfer model.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo yesterday confirmed that President Mugabe would officially launch the dualisation project tomorrow.

He said the project would be done in phases, with the one being launched tomorrow involving dualisation of the Beitbridge-Harare Highway. “It will be a big day because the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway was long overdue after having been delayed by battles that at one time spilled into the courts,’’ said Dr Gumbo.

‘’The project will cost just under a billion at about $998 million and the contractor will tell the President the time lines for completing the project and the President will also say something during the official launch of the project.’’

Dr Gumbo said preliminary indications were that the project was going to be completed within three years, with work expected to resume once President Mugabe officially launched it.

“The dualisation project will be done in phases and under the first phase being launched by His Excellency at Chaka, the dualisation will be done from Beitbridge to Harare only and as for the Harare-Chirundu stretch, the nation will be notified at the appropriate time,’’ he said.

Dr Gumbo said the dualisation project would bring economic benefits to Zimbabwe and other countries in the region.

‘’We are happy that the dualisation will finally start and though it may not totally end road accidents along the highway, we believe for those drivers who are careful, the number of accidents will go down,’’ he said.

Government has already insisted that 40 percent of the dualisation project was supposed to benefit locals as part of empowering indigenous people.

Calls for Government to expedite the dualisation project got louder last month after 30 people perished at Nyamatikiti River Bridge near Chaka when a Proliner bus bound for South Africa was side-swiped by a haulage truck going in the opposite direction.

President Mugabe’s packed programme this week has poured cold water on claims by the private media and opposition political parties that he is no longer fit to discharge his duties.

The private media, quoting unnamed family sources, last week said the Head of State and Government “was now barely able to function”.

Two days after the claims, President Mugabe has proved the prophets of doom wrong, embarking on a busy schedule this week.

The crammed programme began on Monday with the President welcoming King Letsie III of Lesotho at the Harare International Airport.

He later on hosted a banquet for the Basotho leader, who is in the country on a four-day State visit.

President Mugabe spent the better part of yesterday chairing a Cabinet meeting, before holding a meeting with King Letsie III. He continues with his diary tomorrow when he is expected to commission the dualisation of the Beitbridge-Harare and Harare-Chirundu highways at Chaka Business Centre in Midlands.

President Mugabe is later that same day expected to proceed to Masvingo to commission Zimbabwe’s largest inland water body, Tokwe- Mukosi Dam.

Commenting on the launch of Tokwe-Mukosi Dam, Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Shuvai Mahofa yesterday said: “We are well prepared and everything is in place because we want to use the water.

“I hear the dates have been changed and it’s now on Thursday. We are only waiting for the leadership. We are expecting many people at the event because this is a milestone.”

Secretary for Environment, Water and Climate Mr Prince Mupazviriho confirmed the change in dates yesterday.

“The Ministry wishes to advise all stakeholders and members of the public that the official commissioning of Tokwe-Mukosi Dam by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde R.G. Mugabe, which was supposed to take place on Friday, May 19, 2017 will now be held on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at the dam site,” he said in a statement.

“Stakeholders are advised to take note of the new date in their planning. The programme of events for the day remains unchanged.”

Tokwe-Mukosi Dam, which is about 70 percent full, has a capacity of 1,8 billion cubic metres. The dam, located in the semi-arid southern Masvingo, was financed by Government at a cost of $260 million.

Mr Mupazviriho recently said the dam was one of the key milestones of Government’s economic blueprint, Zim-Asset.

The long awaited commissioning of the dam is expected to ignite economic activity in the agriculture and tourism sectors, as well as create job opportunities for people in the surrounding areas of Masvingo and Chiredzi.