Growing concern is mounting over the rapid deterioration of some newly rehabilitated roads, with citizens warning that sections of the country’s road network are already developing potholes and other defects shortly after completion.
In response, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development says contractors awarded road rehabilitation projects are only paid after engineers certify that the work meets the required standards.
The ministry also says all road construction contracts include a defects liability clause requiring contractors to repair any defects that emerge within the agreed liability period at their own cost.
These claims were made in the Senate on Thursday after legislators questioned the quality of recently rehabilitated roads, saying some were already developing potholes and other defects, prompting calls for greater accountability for contractors undertaking public infrastructure projects.
Matabeleland South Senator, Nonhlanhla Mlotshwa, asked what measures the ministry had put in place to ensure contractors delivering substandard work were held accountable.
“We realise that the roads that have been completed are deteriorating. What measures is the Minister using to hold contractors accountable for the substandard work that would have been done?” Mlotshwa asked.
Responding, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Felix Mhona, said the ministry only pays contractors after engineers certify that the work meets the required standards.
“In most cases, where you see contractors starting to do shoddy work, we do not pay until we certify that the work has been done. It is the other way round; if you see shoddy work being done, the contractor is not paid until we certify that the work has been done accordingly,” Mhona said.
The minister said contracts for road projects also contain a defects liability clause, which compels contractors to repair any defects that emerge before the agreed liability period expires.
“There is a defects liability clause in our contracts so that if it deteriorates before the agreed time, you are supposed to redo the work,” he said.
However, the minister said some roads that appear to have been poorly constructed are, in fact, resurfaced roads rather than newly reconstructed ones.
Mhona explained that while a newly reconstructed road is designed to last about 20 years with routine maintenance every five years, resealed roads retain the original road structure beneath the new surface, making weak sections susceptible to potholes.
“When we talk of road reconstruction, it means reconstructing a road from scratch… So, to a layperson, it is like shoddy work,” Mhona said.
Earlier, Senator Solani Moyo also from Matabeleland South highlighted construction had halted on several roads, including sections of the Plumtree and Matopo roads, asking when the projects would be completed.
Mhona acknowledged some projects had stalled but said work had resumed on parts of the Matopo Road, with all contractors expected to be fully mobilised in the coming weeks.
He added that the government had approved a new infrastructure financing framework, which would provide funding for delayed road projects through financial institutions.
“We now have a framework for funding our infrastructure. We have mobilised funding through banks and we will be funding those stalled projects,” Mhona claimed.
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