HARARE – Rushinga Member of Parliament, Tendai Nyabani (ZANU PF) has urged the government to urgently revive Zimbabwe’s railway infrastructure to protect newly constructed roads from damage caused by heavy trucks.
Speaking during the commissioning of a 3.3km stretch along the Harare–Kanyemba Road, Nyabani says the existing railway network stretching as far as Bindura and Greendale should be fully utilized to decongest the roads in Mashonaland Central.
“There is a railway line that goes as far as Bindura and Greendale. I call upon the government to make use of it to help decongest the roads,” he said.
The legislator also stressed the importance of introducing a weighbridge system to monitor load limits.
“If only we could measure the loads to determine whether they are fit to be transported by road, we could preserve our infrastructure,” he said.
Nyabani expressed concern over the use of roads to transport bulk steel from the Manhize Steel Plant in Masvingo to South Africa.
“I saw heavy trucks transporting steel … and I was not impressed. It pained me. We just constructed that beautiful road, but it’s already being damaged,” he said.
He warned that continuing such practices would force the country to constantly rebuild roads—an unsustainable burden on the economy.
Nyabani further called for value addition of minerals within Zimbabwe instead of exporting raw materials.
“My wish is for us to process raw materials locally. If we do the entire value chain here, it means transporting lighter loads and creating more employment,” he said.
The MP believes that reviving the railway system would not only safeguard infrastructure but also stimulate economic growth and unlock opportunities for investment in other development projects.
