BULAWAYO City Council’s 2025 Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP2) has been allocated more funding, after getting ZiG61 986 822 from the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) compared to the ZiG18 568 731 allocated last year.
According to the latest council report on the road rehabilitation programmes for both 2024 and 2025, the department of works reported last month that Bulawayo was facing challenges with procurement of materials and hiring of plant and equipment.
This was attributed to delays from the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz), special procurement oversight committee and lack of participation by key contractors and suppliers.
Council said most companies that participated had a tendency of inflating prices, resulting in costs exceeding the amounts budgeted for the projects.
“The ERRP2 allocation for the year 2024 was ZiG18 568 731 for procurement of the asphalt batching plant (including supporting equipment) and for routine maintenance works. To date, Zinara has disbursed ZiG11 916 058,85,” the report read.
“The disbursed funds had been earmarked for the hire of asphalt batching plant, procurement of pothole patching materials, premix for localised overlay and pavement reconstruction works, road marking and traffic signs using both in-house teams and contractors.”
Council also indicated that the challenges it faced were that some contractors and suppliers were demanding payment in US dollars, hence the delay in utilising the disbursed funds.
Other challenges were a result of delayed procurement processes due to low uptake by contractors, which delayed the utilisation process and sole suppliers advising that they were not registered with Praz and this necessitated retendering.
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“Zinara allocation for 2025 was ZiG61 986 822 for both routine and periodic maintenance work. The department intended to spend 70% (ZiG43 390 775,40) of the allocation on periodic maintenance works (that is Matopos Road overlay works) and the remaining 30% (ZiG18 596 046,60) on routine maintenance citywide (that is, pothole patching, crack sealing and slurry sealing),” the report said.
Council also indicated that there was a need to improve visibility of the road line marking of all existing bays and marking of new parking bays.
Indications were that the tender for the supply of road line marking paint had been awarded and it was expected that deliveries would start last month.
The department said it was expecting to acquire a road line marking machine to capacitate internal teams.
“They should go a long way in improving signage and marking maintenance activities. The department had also proceeded with the use of the RFQ [request for quotation] for the hire of a contractor to undertake marking of roads and signage in and around the central business district,” the report said.
Councillor Roy Sekete applauded the works department saying at least 29% of the fuel allocated by Zinara had been returned.
He said in some high-density suburbs, there were roads that were still good, but required attention before they deteriorated.
Councillor Donaldson Mabuto noted that Zinara was engaged at different levels, but raised concern over its remittances which are in ZiG, yet almost all services required the use of US dollars.
He suggested the use of pavers on some of the roads that have developed potholes.
Town clerk Christopher Dube said Zinara’s conditions were not favourable, adding that it was difficult to do pothole patching due to lack of resources.
