Umzingwane, Matobo main road ‘forgotten’

Villagers in UMZINGWANE and Matobo, Matabeleland South have bitterly complained over the poor state of the main road linking the two areas.

Dickson Moyo, councillor for Matobo Ward 15, stated that the Old Gwanda Road, an important road that connects Umzingane and Matobo, had been neglected for more than five years. "The road is extensively potholed, taking us three hours to get to Bulawayo, a distance that should only take an hour. What disturbs us the most as locals is that the majority of us in Matopo are farmers, making it difficult for us to get in town as early as 5 a.m. We have to wake up around 1 a.m. to ensure that our farm stuff sells well. "Small cars cannot access our road due to the deep potholes," he stated.

According to Umzingwane Ward 9 councillor Bekezela Moyo, the road was last graded in 2017, which is why bus operators avoid the region. "It's 46 kilometers from town, yet our transportation costs US$6 because our road is in poor condition. The automobiles that use our roads cannot last due to the status of the road. We attempted to apply for Zupco buses, but were denied due to the bad road conditions. Our location has been designated as a World Heritage Site, but tourists no longer visit," Moyo explained. Levi Mayihlome, Member of Parliament for Umzingwane, stated that the Bulawayo-Sikiti route was last graded three years ago.

"It is not correct that the road was last graded five years ago. In fact, the segment of road between Bulawayo and Sikiti was graded three years ago. The indicated road passes across three constituencies or districts, which makes coordination difficult. "It begins in Matobo North, moves to Umzingwane at Matopo Primary School, and then to Gwanda North at Dula," Mayihlome explained. Abednico Ncube, Minister of State for Provincial and Devolution Affairs in Matabeleland South Province, stated that he was unaware of the bad condition of the road.

“I am not aware of the poor state of the Old Gwanda Road. I will engage the Ministry of Transport to assess the state of the road,” he said.