‘Zim rural development agency operating at 30 percent capacity’

Milton Sasa

Zimbabwe’s District Development Fund, which is responsible for maintaining rural infrastructure, is
operating at 30 percent capacity, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government
Programmes, Dr Joram Gumbo said this is hampering maintenance of roads and other infrastructure
in rural areas.

Dr Gumbo was officiating at an event in which a local caterpillar dealer Barzem, handed over two
motorized graders to DDF on Friday.

The Minister said about 30 of DDF’s machinery is operational, while the rest is at various stages of
disrepair.

“It is a matter for regret that at the moment, the inventory of equipment in possession of all the
provincial road units is hardly enough to constitute one unit per province,” he said.

The country’s rural road network has taken a battering due to incessant rains, affecting availability of
transport in most communal lands.

Cabinet recently declared all national roads a state of disaster, triggering Treasury to release
emergency funds for the exercise.

DDF is responsible for 60 percent of rural road feeders.