Staff Reporter

Dema Residents have applauded the Government for its concerted efforts to lessen the burden of the commuting public by moving the Dema Tollgate further from Residential areas.

 An official from Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) spoke to this publication confirming Government’s plans to move the Dema tollgate which is located along Chitungwiza-Wedza Highway near Ziko Shopping Centre are already underway.

“The Dema tollgate will be relocated further away from the residential areas, funds to facilitate this relocation are about to be disbursed,” said the official who preferred anonymity.

The ZINARA official also affirmed that the Dema Tollgate would have been relocated a while ago, but there was a delay because of the Covid 19 Pandemic.

“There was a delay to this relocation because of the Covid 19 Pandemic but ever since the road rehabilitation programme was effected, plans to facilitate this development have been put in place.”

ZINARA admitted in 2020 that the toll plaza was wrongly placed and the residents complained that it was affecting their day to day economic lives.

The Government proved to be a listening Government by finally making plans to relocate the Dema Tollgate to a much efficient location where it does not affect the livelihoods of the Dema Residents.

The Dema Residents are more than grateful that the Government has noted their concerns and is already taking action to ensure that the relocation of the tollgate is done as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, ZINARA recently announced that at least five tollgates which include Skyline, Lion’s Den, Umguza and Shamva are set to be moved further out as the expanding urban areas lap around them.

This will again restore them as highway tollgates and ease the financial burden on motorists living in the peri-urban areas. Attempts by the publication to get comments from officials at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure  Development were fruitless as their phones went unanswered.