By Derick Tsimba

Works on the Beitbridge highway is progressing at an alarming rate as Government is determined to complete the upgrading of the country’s main highway to international standards without delay.

Yesterday the Minister of Finance and Economic Development Prof Mthuli Ncube took a detailed tour of the Beitbridge Highway, having his first stop at Beatrice where a 20km stretch is in progress for completion.

Zimbabwe commenced upgrading Harare-Beitbridge highway following Governments allocation of a US $1billion for the upgrade, the Harare Post can report. The country’s main highway had been lagging behind resulting in incessant calls for road works to accelerate the rehabilitation of the highway. The route links Zimbabwe with its trading partner, South Africa, giving access to Northern Africa.

A group of five companies, Tensor Systems, Fossil Contracting, Masimba Construction, Exodus and Company, and Bitumen World, continue to do works executing their assignments with each rehabilitating 20km stretches along the country’s main highway.

This year Zimbabwe’s main highway is expected to be completed resulting in much increased significant economic benefits for Zimbabwe and its number one trading partner the Republic of South Africa. The highway will go a long way in necessitating the movement of cargo and traffic.

The highway under rehabilitation has been a much preferred route by haulage trucks in transit to the North of the country, the DRC, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania as it presented a shorter route.  On completion the highway will compete with the just completed route along the Kazungula Bridge which gives access to Durban in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, DRC and Tanzania forming a linkage in Africa’s North and South corridor.