The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development claims that the contractor is currently on the ground, and that rehabilitation of the aging Bulawayo Victoria Falls Road was soon commenced and “incorrect information was posted.”
The state newspaper on Monday published an article showing that eight contractors involved in the rehabilitation of Bulawayo-Vic Falls Road are currently on the premises, and that this is shared on the Department of Transportation X page.
This is despite ads that invite contractors to bid on road upgrades, but the bidding process was closed only on April 29th, raising concerns that the contract was fraudulently awarded.
For those who find it difficult to believe Emerson Mnangagwa the most corrupt politician Zimbabwe has ever had, here is your answer. pic.twitter.com/5pkcogujuc– Hopewell Chiono (@daddyhope) April 29, 2025
In a statement, Eng. Joy Makumbe said there are no contractors who have not been awarded a bid for the 440.4km project.
“The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development hopes not to apologise to the public and all of its stakeholders for posting a Twitter message containing false information at 09:18 hours on April 29, 2025.
“The Twitter message was tagged with a story published by Herald Online on April 28, 2025. This was headlined “Contractors in Victoria Falls.” The ministry has acknowledged that no contractors are on-site as the bidding process is still underway,” the statement read.
Sign up for the AllAfrica newsletter for free
Get the latest African news
success!
Almost finished…
You need to check your email address.
Follow the instructions in the email you sent to complete the process.
error!
There was a problem processing the submission. Please try again later.
The secretary said the error was due to a violation of internal protocols caused by a social media officer who failed to verify the information.
“One of the officers admitted that they had violated internal standard operating procedures for information verification by assigning the obligation to manage the ministry’s Twitter handle and not verifying the reliability of the facts with technical staff at the Roads Bureau prior to publication.”
The ministry said it would consider bidding before the evaluation committee submits recommendations to the Special Procurement Monitoring Committee.
“The Ministry wants to set a record on this issue straightforwardly as follows: The bid issued on April 17, 2025 was closed on April 29, 2025 at 11:00.
“After the bidding period is closed, the assessment committee will be convened and as a result, sent to the Special Procurement Monitoring Committee to oversee the bidding process before awarding it to the bidder,” Makumbe said.
According to Transport Minister Felix Moona, the entire road is set to take 36 months. Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road is a major concern as it leads to Zimbabwe’s major tourist attractions.
