Mnangagwa To Commission Trabablas Interchange

President Emmerson Mnangagwa will officially open the Trabablas Interchange, formerly known as the Mbudzi Roundabout, today, Friday, 30 May.

The new US$88 million interchange is located at the intersection of Simon Mazorodze, Chitungwiza, and High Glen roads in Harare.

For years, the old Mbudzi Roundabout was a major traffic bottleneck, particularly during peak hours, frequently causing long delays and accidents.

The redevelopment includes a modern flyover, widened lanes, and improved pedestrian walkways to ease congestion and improve safety.

Initial construction estimates by South African engineering consultancy DNMZ placed the cost at US$65 million.

However, Tefoma, a consortium comprising Tensor Systems, Fossil Contracting, and Masimba Construction, was awarded the project without a formal tender process.

The consortium added US$23 million to the total cost, citing additional expenses for detour roads, compensation for displaced property owners, professional fees, and other associated costs.

As with many public infrastructure projects in Zimbabwe, concerns have been raised about potential overspending.

Although the final cost will only be known after a formal audit, questions are already being asked about how the US$88 million was spent.

Just last week, Matabeleland North Senator Sengezo Tshabangu pressed Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona for clarity on the project’s cost. He said:

The cost of that interchange, the figures that we have, it was quoted around $88 million. In comparison to South Africa, if you go to Mount Edgecomb which is the largest in the southern hemisphere, it cost about $77 million which is about R101.14 million.

Let us look at the difference, the proportion, and what makes our road construction so expensive in the region, yet we use the same material?

Mhona struggled to provide a clear and coherent explanation for the project’s ballooning costs, eventually blaming to the effects of international sanctions on Zimbabwe. Said Mhona:

When you look at Zimbabwe, we are quite a unique nation. Firstly, we are under illegal sanctions, and whatever we tap into is not measured favourably in terms of cost implication.

I can cite a good example of a bag of cement, what you get in here and vis-à-vis other countries might be different.

The government has announced that the interchange will be officially named “Trabablas,” after Mnangagwa’s wartime alias.

More: ZimLive