REPORT WITH US

Is something happening we should know about? Our readers give us some of our best story ideas.

WhatsApp: +263 7 18636459
Email: editor@thecitizenbulletin.com 
Twitter: @TheCB_News
Facebook: The Citizen Bulletin

Binga Loses Out On Tourism Due To Poor Road Infrastructure

Poor road networks hinder tourists from traveling to Binga denying the town a potential tourism revenue. Image by MyGuideZimbabwe


BY CALVIN MANIKA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | NOV 15, 2021

The online space which is often used to recommend tourism locations globally has raised a red flag over why travelling to Binga may not be attractive.


BINGA (The Citizen Bulletin) — John Rushton, a retired expert with over 30 years experience in Foreign Aid distribution and now a resident in the United Kingdom, says Binga roads are a turn-off for any tourist.

He adds that the district is blessed with a basket of tourism attractions but remains underdeveloped and shunned by tourists because of the poor state of roads.

“I can say that I have travelled on every road in Zimbabwe. My main employment was transport distribution. I have travelled on the road that you wish to travel on that runs between Binga and Karoi, which is gravel and not tarred,” Rushton says in response on a tourist blog to a tourist who intended to visit Binga.


“The road that runs from Binga to Karoi is definitely a no go area for cars definitely, not caravans, and I personally would not travel on that road with a 4 x4 pick-up. These roads are very rarely maintained.”
John Rushton, UK based retired expert in Foreign Aid distribution


Binga is located on the Southeastern shore of Lake Kariba in Matabeleland North province. It is home to thousands of the BaTonga people.

The district remains neglected in terms of infrastructure developments despite being blessed with one of the best tourist attractions in the country.

A scenic view of the Zambezi River viewing, a sand beach, hot springs, fishing, crocodile farm, game reserves, swamps in Simatelele ward, several stunning gorges, natural rock outcrops and a rich culture greets any visitor to the district.

But a poor road network in Binga is a drawback, denying the district potential tourism revenue and attendant development.

Because of the poor roads, the area is shunned by businesses willing to set up shops in the district and even commuter transport operators.

In 2020, the poor state of roads in Binga was exposed when humanitarian organisations and other aid agencies struggled for days to reach the Nsungulwe area after the area was hit by flash floods that displaced over 200 people.

On February 9, 2021, the government declared the country’s roads a national disaster before launching the Emergency Roads rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2).


But despite the evident deterioration of road infrastructure in Binga, no significant attention has been given to the district.


Moffat Mutale, Binga Residents Association executive member, thinks a good road infrastructure is a key to developing Binga.

“Because of poor roads, market links to our products like kapenta and fish become difficult to reach. Fares of transport also become too high as transporters try to compensate for the damages to their vehicles. Tourists fail to visit the area resulting in revenue loss that is supposed to develop the area,” Mutale told The Citizen Bulletin.

The District Development Fund (DDF), which is in charge of road rehabilitation projects in rural areas, has done little over the years to fix Binga roads.


In 2020, flash floods destroyed some Binga roads resulting in the government declaring roads a national disaster in 2021. Image by Newsday


DDF coordinator for Matabeleland North Fidelia Lumano could not be reached for comment.

In 2019, work commenced on the new Karoi-Binga road, directly linking the Matabeleland North and Mashonaland West provinces.

The road, if completed, reduces the journey by over 200km from Harare to Binga and Victoria Falls. However, there is little progress to date.

A resident who spoke to this publication expressed displeasure in how marginalized communities continue to suffer from a lack of development.


ALSO READ: Sand Poaching 'Oils' New Mazwi Youth Community, At A Cost


“Most of the tourists shun our area due to poor roads. If the rains come again, and with the current state of roads, it will be difficult to move farming inputs ahead of another farming season. ADRA and Christian Care drivers always have a torrid time with these roads. So, we continue suffering,” says Mudimba.

Speaking to The Citizen Bulletin, Binga Rural District Council (RDC) chief executive officer (CEO) Joshua Muzamba absolved the council of failure to rehabilitate the Binga-Karoi road, saying the responsibility falls under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development.

“Dete- Binga and Binga - Karoi roads are under the oversight of the Ministry of Transport. But, about those under rural district council, I am currently out of the office to give correct details on roads. You can call our roads engineer.”

Binga RDC roads engineer Zibusiso Nyoni was not reachable.


 Do you have a hyperlocal story to share?

WhatsApp us on: +263 71 863 6459.  Email us on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


Since You’re Here, We’ve a Small Request…

Our hard-hitting hyperlocal reporting and analysis reaches one in every three people across the greater region of Matabeleland, southwestern Zimbabwe. That means our content reaches approximately 60,000 readers each week. However, in order for our well-rounded journalism to reach more people who need it to make informed decisions about their lives and their communities, we need to build a strong audience of followers that would receive our rigorous reporting in just one place. Because of exorbitant internet data costs, we know most of our readers use messaging apps such as WhatsApp to get all our content in one place. But the platform, predominantly used by our readers, is not primarily designed for content distribution and reader engagement. That is why we’re building a WhatsApp Bot to navigate this challenge. But in order for this strategy to work effectively to serve our needs, we want all our casual readers like you to be part of our growing WhatsApp Community. To be part of this community of registered users, WhatsApp the word "JOIN" to +263 71 863 6459. We look forward to engaging and building a lasting relationship with you. Thank you.