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Midlands Bureau Chief
ZIBAGWE Rural District Council has received $4 million under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme Phase 2 (ERRP2 ) and is doing routine maintenance of roads in the district.

The Government declared all roads a state of disaster in February last year and launched ERRP 1 and when it lapsed, it launched ERRP 2.

The objectives of ERRP is to improve the road network, which was extensively damaged following incessant rains last year.

Zibagwe RDC was allocated $43 million under ERRP 2 and $4 million has since been released.

The local authority has done 8km of pothole patching along Sherwood Road, vegetation clearing on some sections of the same road and spot gravelling on Zhombe District Service Centre shops frontage.

Council is also doing pothole patching on the access road to Munyati Power Station as well as pothole patching and vegetation clearing along old Gokwe Road.

Council’s chief executive officer Mr Farai Machaya confirmed the development.

He said the council is planning to rehabilitate the drainage system along Sherwood Road.

“We have received about $4 million from Zinara under ERRP 2 from the budget of $43 million.

We have since embarked on pothole patching and vegetation clearing on major roads under our jurisdiction,” said Mr Machaya.

He said council will rehabilitate Crossroads to Gweru Road once it receives more funds.

Turning to devolution funds, Mr Machaya said the council is expecting to commission Bhalimasvesve Primary School F14 staff house, Zhombe flea market and Columbina public toilet.

“We expect to commission Sherwood Clinic next month, Langton Clinic in September, Hunters Secondary School in October and Fafi Clinic block in November,” said Mr Machaya.

Meanwhile, the City of Gweru has purchased a tipper truck worth US$102 660 using devolution funds.

City of Gweru management, led by acting town clerk Mr Vakai Douglas Chikwekwe and audit committee chairperson Councillor Albert Chirau, took delivery of the truck at town house recently.

Council spokesperson Ms Vimbai Chingwaramusee said the tipper truck, the first for the local authority, is expected to go a long way in improving service delivery.

“We realised that we could not operate without a tipper truck particularly in the roads section which needs improvement.

We have been having challenges because we did not have a tipper truck to carry gravel,” she said.

Ms Chingwaramusee said council has been hiring tipper trucks.

“We intend to buy more tipper trucks to beef up our fleet,” she said.

The truck comes a few months after the local authority commissioned a truck and a dumper purchased using devolution funds.