Nkayi is facing a growing shortage of cement as transporters refuse to use the deteriorated Nkayi Road, with the rains worsening the already poor terrain, Nkayi South legislator Jabulani Hadebe (CCC) has said.
Hadebe said rehabilitation of the long-neglected road has stalled again, creating logistical challenges for delivery trucks and slowing down basic construction activities across the district.
“The improvements are happening at a snail pace,” he said.
“A section of the road after Ngwigwisi River stretching for 20 kilometres was started last year and there hasn’t been any action for the past five months.
“The Ministry of Finance is yet to pay the contractor for what has been done.”
He said the contractor had compacted the surface on that stretch, but with the rainy season now underway, the works risk being washed away.
“That section has been compacted, but if they don’t pour tar on time, the rains will destroy it,” he said.
Hadebe said the 20-kilometre section, handled by a single contractor, required an estimated US$10 million for every 10 kilometres, but Treasury disbursements remain unclear.
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“There is no clarity as to when they are supposed to get their allocations from Treasury,” he said.
The stalled progress and worsening road conditions have now triggered a cement crisis in Nkayi, as suppliers avoid the risky route.
“As we speak, there is a shortage of cement in Nkayi,” Hadebe said.
Transporters are refusing to ply that route to deliver cement due to poor road infrastructure which has been worsened by the rains.”
“It’s three weeks now with a shortage of cement.”
The Nkayi Road has been cited for years as one of the most neglected in Matabeleland North, and residents fear the current rainy season will further delay rehabilitation efforts, deepen transport challenges, and cripple construction projects across the district.
