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Zimbabwe president to officiate at road rehab ceremony

Xinhua, February 21, 2017 Adjust font size:

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is expected to officiate at the groundbreaking ceremony of the rehabilitation of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu highway in early March.

The ceremony will trigger commencement of works on the highway by Austrian firm Geiger International in partnership with Chinese contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), Transport Minister Jorum Gumbo said Monday.

He told a parliamentary committee that at least 40 percent of the value of the project will be sub-contracted to local Zimbabwean companies.

"We asked the financier to allow 40 percent involvement in the project by our local people and they are going to advertise on what they want the locals to contribute," the minister said.

He said some engineers from Geiger International were already in the country preparing to start the work.

An independent engineer in conjunction with government engineers will supervise the project to meet required standards, he said.

Last November, Geiger International signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract with Zimbabwe to pave for the rehabilitation and dualization of the 900-km highway.

The highway will be rehabilitated in segments with Geiger International set to construct the Beitbridge-Harare segment at a cost of 984 million U.S. dollars under a 25-year build operate and transfer model while the Harare-Chirundu segment of the highway will be constructed by CHEC under a loan financing model.

The Beitbridge-Harare road would be constructed over a period of three years.

The Zimbabwe government has since approved the EPC contract for CHEC and a delegation from the Chinese firm is now expected in the country to sign the contract.

The loan agreement for the Harare-Chirundu highway is expected to be concluded by mid 2017, according to minister Gumbo.

The scope of the work include full dualization of the road, including the widening and rehabilitation of the existing road and construction of 37 new two lane bridges and 8 tollgates.

The Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu highway is Zimbabwe's busiest road and the gateway to neighboring countries including South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The narrow highway has since outlived its lifespan and is in urgent need of rehabilitation as it is now littered with potholes. Endit