Zimbabwe seeks funds to repair roads damaged by rains

The Zimbabwean government said Wednesday it needed 100 million U.S. dollars to urgently repair roads that have been damaged by heavy rains.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joram Gumbo told a press conference that some sections of the country's road network had become impassable after bridges were washed away by the heavy rains in the season 2016-17.

He said the situation had been compounded by the downgraded Cyclone Dineo that hit southern parts of the country last week, causing substantial damage to roads and bridges.

The washed-away bridges had seen some rural communities being cut off from essential services, resulting in them travelling longer distances to get to places that are "just next door".

Some villagers were improvising and using ladders to cross over damaged bridges that were still standing, the minister said.

The Ministry of Finance was leading the resource mobilization process and had so far raised 14.5 million dollars, while the national road authority, ZINARA, was in the process of raising 50 million dollars from banks for the road repair works, according to the minister.

"Road authorities have commenced on the first phase of urgent and emergency works, and will continue until all emergencies have been addressed," the minister said.

He said they hoped to complete urgent road repair works in 30 days and all the other roads, including those in urban areas, in six months.

The government in January declared pothole-littered Harare roads a "state of disaster" and said it would move in to assist the council to repair them. Endit