Vice President Rtd General Dr Chiwenga, accompanied by Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Honourable Felix Tapiwa Mhona and other government officials, paid a visit to the ongoing construction site in Mt Hampden yesterday to assess the progress made since his last inspection in March.
Vice President Rtd General Dr Chiwenga was pleased to observe the notable progress in the construction of the Boulevard, the main road from Mazowe turn off to the New Parliament building, noting that the improvement since his last visit in March had left him impressed.
“I must say that I am highly impressed with the progress of the road constructions in this area, especially the Boulevard that leads to the New Parliament building from the Mazowe turn off. The level of improvement is commendable,” said VP Chiwenga.
He praised the contractors for heeding his call and working around the clock to accelerate the pace of construction work on the roads and the Boulevard in Mt Hampden.
“The progress I have seen from the time we agreed with the contractors that there are going to work on a 24/7 basis and they have maintained that thrust in doing their work.
” From all the briefs I have been given from the 3 contractors Fossil, Bitumen and Exodus there are all on course and we will be able to meet the deadline of 30 June,” he said.
VP Chiwenga appealed for cooperation in dealing with the temporary inconvenience brought about by road works and construction and asked for patience and understanding from the motorists.
“Yes, I’m quite aware of the minor inconveniences being experienced by the motoring public but this is for their own good and I have looked at the detours in the city, yes it might be slow but shortly it will be a marvel,” he said.
He further highlighted that the government is committed to rehabilitating suburban roads through a close collaboration between his office and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
“We are working in close coordination with the Ministry of Transport, not to serve the interests of the City of Harare, but to serve the people of Zimbabwe. We are doing this for our own people,” said VP Chiwenga.
In accordance with the plan, the Boulevard road will see the development of 17 luxurious villas, which will serve as lodging for SADC heads of state.
VP Dr Chiwenga noted that the latest technological innovations are being utilized to create these architectural masterpieces.
“As you can see the foundations for the Villas have already been done and when the materials arrives which has been pre-fabricated they will be up and ready.
” We have employed the latest technology from other countries which is going to be used here to build the villas.
“This development also shows that the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe has come as a blessing in disguise for we are now able to fund our projects from our own resources,” he said.
Speaking on the sidelines Hon Mhona reiterated the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development’s commitment to repairing and maintaining the road network in Zimbabwe, highlighting that this was the Ministry’s core objective to ensure the ease and safety of transportation for the people of Zimbabwe.
“As a ministry we are continuing in constructing roads which is the main objective of the Ministry to ensure that we rehabilitate our roads for easy transportation for our people,” he said.
Hon Mhona further applauded the contractors’ diligence and dedication to heed the Vice President’s call to work around the clock, a testament to their commitment to the development of Zimbabwe’s infrastructure.
“We have also seen that the contracting companies are working 24/7 to make sure that they meet the 30 June deadline and this shows that the contractors are responsible and are undertaking their duties,” said Hon Mhona.
VP Dr Chiwenga conducted an aerial inspection of the Access Roads construction progress in a helicopter, enabling him to view the project’s development from an elevated perspective.
Story By Farirai Mutumburanzou
