By Flata Kavinga
The City of Kwekwe has received approval from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to establish an asphalt plant, a development expected to improve the state of roads in the city.
Kwekwe Mayor, Cllr Albert Zinhanga, confirmed the development in an interview following a full council meeting, saying the ministry had approved the local authority’s request.
“I can confirm that as the City of Kwekwe, our request to purchase an asphalt plant was approved by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and the Minister has signed the necessary documents,” said Zinhanga.
He said the local authority is now awaiting the next stage of the process, which involves finalising contractual details with the supplier.
“We are now waiting for management to engage the company that will supply the asphalt plant so that they can finalise the scope of the deal. Once that is done, the delivery process will begin,” he said.
Zinhanga said the local authority expects the project to significantly improve road infrastructure across Kwekwe.
“We are excited as a city because this will enable us to ensure that most of our roads are tarred,” he said.
He identified several areas set to benefit from the project, including Msasa Park, Newtown, Chicago, Mbizo and Amaveni.
“We want to restore roads in areas such as Msasa Park, where roads were previously tarred but have deteriorated over time, as well as extend road surfacing to other parts of the city,” he said.
Zinhanga said once the city has addressed its own road infrastructure needs, council may consider extending services beyond Kwekwe.
“After completing our internal road works, we may explore opportunities to commercialise the plant by offering services to other local authorities,” he said.
He added that Kwekwe is among the first local authorities to independently pursue the procurement of an asphalt plant.
However, Zinhanga said details regarding the cost of the project could not yet be disclosed.
“I am not able to disclose the figures at the moment as there are still outstanding issues to be finalised. The figures will be made available at the commissioning stage,” he said.
