Motor industry hails Govt
Players in the automobile industry have hailed Government’s rehabilitation of major roads
across the country.
The investment and road rehabilitation comes as the country had suffered years of regression in infrastructure development, particularly on roads rehabilitation and construction due to a myriad of challenges.
The New Dispensation under President Mnangagwa has however, identified road infrastructure as a key economic enabler and has since rolled out several rehabilitation and reconstruction works across the country.
Highways — headlined by the Beitbridge to Harare and Harare to Chirundu roads, feeder roads, rural roads and grossly neglected municipal roads are all being targeted under the programme.
Speaking in separate interviews, key players in the motor industry hailed the Government, saying this augurs well with the country’s economic revival strategy, as enunciated under the National Development Strategy 1.
Mr Victor Matiyenga, the managing director for Exquisite Cars (Pvt) Limited, said some people were being dissuaded to buy preferred vehicles because of bad road infrastructure. “Logistics is a very important economic enabler and there is no denying the fact that we were lagging behind due to a bad road infrastructure,” he said. “You will also realise that a
good number has been dissuaded from buying wheels that befit their status because of this.
“So, when roads start being worked on as is the case, you start seeing increased activity in that economic sector. As a business in the motor industry, we are obviously happy to see these improvements and we are thankful to the Government for the massive road improvements it is championing.”
Mr Brighton Ushendibaba, director of PanJap Motors, a leading player in the motor industry commended the Government for protecting the motoring public, as well as their industry by improving the road infrastructure.
“Roads make an important impact on the growth of the economy and have many social benefits for road users,” he said. “A good road infrastructure enables social services to get to every part of the country without much inconvenience and we are thankful to the Government for prioritising the restoration of our roads.
“On our part in the motor industries, it is a challenge if you have a bad road network because people tend to buy vehicles which suit the road network.
“You would agree with me that since the Government started improving our roads after the coming in of the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa, people are now buying luxury cars as well as fuel savers, these types of cars have low suspension which needs a good road network.
“We are thankful to the Government for prioritising our roads and this has boosted not only our industry, but other sectors as well.”
A leading player in the public transport system, Dr Leonard Mukumba, the director at Mukumba Brothers — a prominent bus service in the country, talked of the importance of efficiency enabled by an improved road infrastructure.
“We want to thank the Government for the continued efforts to improve our highway network which is making transportation schedules and deliveries more reliable and timely,so people can effectively plan their journeys,” he said.
“Improved road infrastructure reduces travel time from point A to B, which encourages people to travel for business and trade.
“Now, most of our roads are in a very good condition which makes journeys faster, comfortable, safer and reduces fuel consumption. Our plea is for the Government to continue with these restorations until the whole country is covered.”
Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Felix Mhona said the buzz in the reconstruction of roads will go on until the road network was commensurate to an upper middle income society envisaged by President Mnangagwa by 2030. “We want to thank President Mnangagwa for his visionary leadership and his insistence that projects planned
to be undertaken should be done,” he said. “If you look at the Kopa–Jopa Road that was opened last week, there has been a lot of promise to improve that road since 1980,” he said.
“The ongoing restructuring exercise of the country’s roads will go on in line with the President’s vision. By 2030 we should have an upper middle income society and our aim is to have roads commensurate to an upper middle income society.
“President Mnangagwa has been consistent in his message that a country is developed by its own people, and I want to implore everyone to pull in the same direction until we have built our country to the levels we want it to be.”-Herald
