Govt hijacks Byo road project

Luveve Road, between Matshobane and Mpopoma had become unusable due to potholes.

BULAWAYO mayor Solomon Mguni on Tuesday accused government of hijacking the Luveve Road rehabilitation project from the local authority but failing to put resources towards the project in the 2022 financial year.

Luveve Road, between Matshobane and Mpopoma had become unusable due to potholes.

Government said it would rehabilitate the road under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP).

"In 2021, it (government) took over and failed to rehabilitate this council road under the ERRP. They failed to disburse Zimbabwe National Road Administration funds in 2022. In 2023, council deployed its own limited resources. They now claim they are doing it," Mguni posted on his Facebook account after posting a picture of the newly-rehabilitated part of the road.

He said government was claiming credit in a project it was not part of.

Contacted for more details on the matter on Tuesday, Mguni said he was in Niamey, Niger, on government business.

"Kindly contact councillor Mlandu Ncube he is the acting mayor," Mguni said.

Ncube said the project was being done by council using its resources.

“Government cannot claim credit which it does not deserve.  If you go to that place, don't you see that those are council equipment and vehicles working there? Government cannot claim credit in that project because it’s council that is using its resources to do that road. They claimed to have taken over the project but the council ended up channelling its resources to do that road," Ncube said.

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