Contractors Abandon Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway Projects Over Government Non-Payment

MASVINGO – Contractors working on sections of the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway dualisation project have abandoned their sites, citing non-payment by the Government, a senior engineering consultant has said.

The affected works include the construction of a bridge across the Mucheke River, an interchange near Masvingo Polytechnic and the tarring and expansion of sections of the highway. The developments were revealed by ProStruct Consulting Engineers representative Kudakwashe Dzimati during a tour of Government projects in Masvingo and Chivi districts on Thursday by senior officials. ProStruct Consulting Engineers is involved as a Government consultant on ongoing infrastructure development programmes.

Dzimati said Masimba Construction, one of the major contractors involved in the project, had abandoned its site and sent workers home on July 2, 2026. He warned that unless completed and ongoing works were secured before the onset of the rainy season, the projects could suffer significant damage and delays.

Among the projects identified as particularly vulnerable are Chimusana Bridge across the Mucheke River in Masvingo, an interchange near Masvingo Polytechnic and road construction works near Panyanda Lodge.

“It is critical and our desire is that we protect these works before the rainy season. We had serious issues at Panyanda detour during the last rainy season,” Dzimati said.

He said contractors had initially planned to complete their current assignments before the rainy season, but funding challenges had disrupted the programme.

“The main challenge is funding, and that’s what is causing contractors to suspend works; otherwise, we were geared to complete works at Chimusana Bridge by December,” he said.

The tour was attended by Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira and National Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Secretary Fananai Madambi.

Madambi said he would raise the funding concerns with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion.

“It’s not a good story because when people talk of the Beitbridge-Harare Road, what we can talk of is the Harare-Chirundu Road because it’s supposed to be one project covering from Chirundu to Beitbridge,” Madambi said.

“We will discuss with the relevant Ministry. We expect to be reading from the same page when we say Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.”

The suspension of works threatens to delay progress on the strategic highway corridor, which forms part of the key road network linking Zimbabwe with regional markets. Authorities are now under pressure to secure funding and ensure that incomplete works are protected before heavy rains begin, following problems experienced at the Panyanda detour during the previous rainy season.

Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway contractors