Staff Reporter
Harare residents have expressed outrage over the deteriorating condition of Harare Drive, particularly the section between Arcturus Road and Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise Road).
Despite being resurfaced only two years ago, the roadhas already developed cracks sparking concerns about poor workmanship and alleged mismanagement of public funds.
Frustrated citizens took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to complain about the substandard work.
Many accused the City of Harare for failing to deliver quality service and neglecting road infrastructure, further worsening the city's transport challenges.
In response to the growing backlash, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development distanced itself from the project, clarifying that it was not responsible for the rehabilitation of the road.
"Please be advised that the section of Harare Drive, stretching from Arcturus Road to ED Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise Road), was rehabilitated by the City of Harare. This project was not undertaken by the Ministry of Transport & Infrastructural Development. Thank you," said the Ministry in a statement.
The explanation, however, did little to calm the anger of residents, who demanded accountability from the City of Harare.
Tendai Moyo, a motorist who uses the road daily, described the situation as unacceptable.
"How does a road that was resurfaced just two years ago already have cracks? This is clear evidence of a rushed and shoddy job. The City of Harare must explain what went wrong," he said.
Another resident, Samantha Chikukwa, questioned whether proper materials were used for the project.
"They are wasting taxpayers’ money on poor-quality work. We need independent audits on these projects because the money being spent is not matching the quality we are getting," said Moyo.
Echoing similar sentiments, Tafadzwa Nyathi, a taxi driver, said the City of Harare had failed in its mandate to provide durable infrastructure.
"This is corruption at play. Someone got paid for this job, and now we are left with a crumbling road. It's frustrating because we are the ones who suffer," added Nyathi.
Meanwhile, civil engineer, Brighton Mutseka,suggested that the frequent deterioration of roads in Harare pointed to deeper structural and governance issues.
"We keep seeing this pattern—roads being rehabilitated and failing soon after. Either the materials are substandard, or there is no proper supervision. Whatever the case, it is unacceptable," he said.
Efforts to get a comment from the City of Harare were unsuccessful at the time of publication. However, as residents continue to voice their frustrations, pressure is mounting on the municipality to explain the poor state of the road and take corrective measures.
