Rails on the Brink: MPs Warn Mining Boom Is Crushing Roads

Zimbabwean MPs urge urgent rehabilitation of NRZ as booming mining output strains roads, warning that overloaded trucks and underinvestment threaten economic competitiveness and transport sustainability (image source)

Harare — Members of Parliament have sounded the alarm over Zimbabwe’s crumbling transport network, urging the urgent rehabilitation of National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) as expanding mining output overwhelms key highways. The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport warned that decades of underinvestment in rail infrastructure have forced miners to rely on overloaded trucks, accelerating road deterioration and driving up maintenance costs.

According to the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe, mineral production surged by 35 percent in 2024, with gold, platinum and lithium output reaching record highs. Committee chairperson Tawanda Karikoga said that Parliament is “prioritising NRZ revival to ease pressure on our roads,” noting that nine transport parastatals fall under the ministry’s purview but only the road network has seen significant investment.

Karikoga highlighted that the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) has patched potholes and reinforced bridges since 2022, yet highways along major mining corridors remain in a perilous state. Official figures from the Ministry of Transport show that overloaded heavy goods vehicles now account for nearly 60 percent of pavement failures on the Harare–Mutare and Bulawayo–Plumtree routes.

Local haulage contractor Charles Murimirwa described daily encounters with battered thoroughfares. “My trucks are guaranteed a wheel misalignment if we hit certain sections,” he said. Murimirwa added that weighbridges are often understaffed and toll plazas too few, leading drivers to risk overloading rather than face long delays at compliance checkpoints.

Transport economist Dr. Emmanuel Ndlovu of the University of Zimbabwe argues that reviving NRZ freight services could reduce road maintenance bills by up to 40 percent. “Rail transport is five times more cost-effective per tonne-kilometre than road haulage, and it slashes carbon emissions,” he explained, urging a public–private partnership model to modernise rolling stock and signalling systems.

To fast-track the revival, MPs plan to engage the Mutapa Investment Fund to review NRZ’s rehabilitation strategy and secure funding commitments. Karikoga said clear performance targets for rolling stock procurement and track refurbishment will be set, with quarterly progress reports to Parliament.

NRZ’s collapse stems from two decades of neglect, mounting debt and stalled joint ventures. A US$400 million deal with Transnet and the Diaspora Infrastructure Development Group collapsed after negotiations stalled in 2020, while a Russian consortium proposal in 2022 also failed to launch. Lawmakers warn that without immediate action, road repair costs will balloon and mining firms may pass higher logistics expenses onto consumers.

“Rail transport must be at the centre of our long-term development strategy,” Karikoga said. With mining tripling over the past three years, Zimbabwe’s economic competitiveness hinges on restoring its rail backbone and safeguarding its highways.