Zimbabwe's transport officials awarded massive road-building contracts in early 2024. Fossil Contracting scored the biggest prize with a 363-million-dollar highway project between Harare and Chirundu. The same company helped build major roads before last year's regional summit. Several other firms grabbed smaller chunks of the spending spree. Government records indicate that millions are being allocated to construction companies nationwide.
Gokwe became a hot spot for road contracts after muddy scenes and embarrassing officials during Independence Day celebrations. Syndicated Resources received nearly $1 million to renovate the ceremony venue at Nembudziya. Duoflex walked away with 2.9 million for local road repairs around the same area. Zada Construction earned $590,000 to patch up just two kilometers of road. The spending aimed to prevent future embarrassment at major events.
Strange patterns emerged when officials released the contract details. Two completely different companies received identical payments of 8.5 million dollars for totally different jobs. Another matching amount of 1.5 million appeared twice for separate contractors doing unrelated work. Road builders often wait months to receive their money from government coffers. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube admitted to paying just $ 15 million to cover part of what contractors were owed.
Gokwe became a hot spot for road contracts after muddy scenes and embarrassing officials during Independence Day celebrations. Syndicated Resources received nearly $1 million to renovate the ceremony venue at Nembudziya. Duoflex walked away with 2.9 million for local road repairs around the same area. Zada Construction earned $590,000 to patch up just two kilometers of road. The spending aimed to prevent future embarrassment at major events.
Strange patterns emerged when officials released the contract details. Two completely different companies received identical payments of 8.5 million dollars for totally different jobs. Another matching amount of 1.5 million appeared twice for separate contractors doing unrelated work. Road builders often wait months to receive their money from government coffers. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube admitted to paying just $ 15 million to cover part of what contractors were owed.
