The Gonde River Bridge in Matabeleland South province is presently under construction after the government approved $1,5 million for the project, which connects the districts of Kezi and Matobo. Work on the bridge began in August this year, according to the District Development Fund (DDF) Matabeleland South provincial coordinator Moment Malandu. “We are currently working on Gonde Bridge, of which we began the works in August of this year. The bridge is budgeted at $1,5 million, and we want to finish it soon before heavy rains begin,” Malandu said.
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According to the DDF chairman, the bridge was built to allow locals free access to Kezi and Matobo even during the rainy season. He said that this was due to the bridge. It connects the communities on the opposite side of the road to the major highway. The Gonde River Bridge would also make it easier for school children to cross the river and get to school during the rainy season. Patients travelling to and from the local clinic nearby would benefit from a shortened journey time as well.
Funding for the Gonde River Bridge
The bridge was sponsored by the government under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme Phase 2 (ERRP2), according to Malandu, and construction is anticipated to be finished by the end of the year. DDF in Matabeleland South province increased road restoration work earlier this year after the government granted it $40 million of the approximately $230 million it had asked for the road project. The initiative aims to repair all flood-damaged roads and bridges. Part of the monies have since been provided by the government.
DDF is aiming for 179 kilometers in Beitbridge, Umzingwane (63 kilometers), Gwanda (109 kilometers), Insiza (136 kilometers), Matobo (119 kilometers), Bulilima (127 kilometers), and Mangwe (75km). The main issue they faced, according to Malandu, was the regular breakdown of building equipment. Spot gravelling, regrading, reshaping, working on culverts, piping drifts, and the reconstruction of collapsed bridges was among the excellent efforts, he added, but that progress had been hindered by a shortage of money and graders.
