The road state in communities such as Nekabandama, Bhale and Luseche have forced women
not to travel and seek medical attention to the clinics, hospitals and other social needs as public
transporters are shunning the route due to its poor state.
The rural communities have collapsed bridges, huge gullies on the dusty roads and fallen trees on
the road side.
So serious is the situation that the collapsed bridges forces villagers from Luseche to walk to get
services in Hwange Town while it is increasingly becoming difficult to travel to clinics such as
Lukhosi for health services.
“There are not even ZUPCO buses which come to this place of Bhale village, the road is rocky
and is not conducive for motorist to use,” explained Locadia Nyoni from Bhale.
The road which meanders up and down the mountains has cut off Chibhala community from the
rest the community.
“We have been using scotch carts to carry the sick to the hospital, the situation is just dire for the
Hwange rural communities,” she said.
Communities in Hwange district continue to raise their concern over the state of the roads which
have become impassable because of the damage caused by mining companies operating in the
areas.
With an escalating malaria outbreak in Hwange, villagers are at risk of losing their lives as they
fail to access health services at Lukhosi hospital.
According to the Hwange District Medical Officer Lukhosi hospital has so far recorded a total
of 634 malaria cases, 548 of them being uncomplicated and 86 of them complicated Malaria
cases to date.
However there are other unreported cases in rural community due to the inaccessibility of the
health facilities.
“It is difficult to walk to clinics while in pain or sick, the motorists in the rural community
charge very high prices because of the bad state of the roads .As a result we try to treat our
sicknesses at home,” said Nicholas Phiri a survivor of Malaria.
Although Treasury has budgeted $44 billion for ERRP2, while ZINARA has set aside $90 billion
to compliment the road rehabilitation programme and fund the country’s four road authorities,
urban local authorities, rural district councils, the District Development Fund (DDF) and the
Department of Roads through the Emergency Road Rehabilitation programme, the state of
Hwange rural roads continue to haunt villagers in the rural communities.
The ERRP programme is meant to link communities with social amenities such as clinics and
schools.
Ward Councilor Johanesse Tshuma appealed to government to refurbish the rural roads network
to make their clinics more accessible to people.
“We have lost children, mothers and some very close relatives, because we had no transport to
take them to the hospital. The road here is bad and would really appreciate if something is done
to make out community members accessible to essential services.
While villagers await the ERRP programme they have assisted in cutting vegetation on the rural
roads to clear the path way.
Source: NewZiana
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