US$88 MILLION FOR POTHOLES IN THE SKY: ZIMBABWE’S FAKE PROGRESS

Today, Emmerson Mnangagwa is opening the new traffic interchange in Harare. It is called the Trabalas Interchange. Some people even call it the “Trababas Interchange.” Many are saying this is just another waste of money. They say this road project cost too much and the quality is very bad. The government says it cost US$88 million, but people are asking why it cost so much when it looks so poor.

The price is too high. In South Africa, there is a similar road in Durban called the Mount Edgecombe Interchange. That road cost only US$65.9 million. It is bigger and better than this one in Zimbabwe. So how can our road cost more and still look worse? Many Zimbabweans are asking this same question.

The workmanship on the new interchange is very bad. Even before the road is opened, you can already see cracks, unfinished parts, and signs of poor work. This is not how a road that cost US$88 million should look. It looks like something that cost far less. People say this is not development. This is theft.

Many believe the government used this project to steal money. There was no open process to choose the builders. The company that built the interchange is called Fossil Contracting. This company is owned by Obey Chimuka. He is known to be friends with another rich man, Kudakwashe Tagwirei. Both are close to the people in ZANU PF. This makes people think the road was just a cover for corruption. They think the cost was made high to pay bribes and give money to friends of the government.

There are no clear reports showing how the money was spent. People do not know who got the job or why. It is always the same people getting rich while the country gets poorer. There is no shame anymore. Even when people are suffering, they still celebrate these fake projects like we must clap for thieves.

This is not the first time something like this has happened. Zimbabwe has many other fake projects. Big money is spent, but we see nothing good. Roads fall apart, hospitals have no medicine, and schools have no books. But they keep saying Zimbabwe is open for business. What kind of business is this? Where only the leaders and their friends make money, while the people have no food?

Many Zimbabweans are angry. They say the country is being looted every day. They say the leaders pretend to build things, but it is only for show. Behind the scenes, it is just another way to steal. The Trabalas Interchange is now just a symbol of that corruption. A road full of lies.

Even the name of the road is a joke to many. Calling it after the president feels like a mockery. People are suffering. There are no jobs. Prices are high. But here is a shiny new road with the president’s name on it, and they want us to be happy.

We are not fools. We can see the truth. Zimbabwe needs real change. Not paint on potholes. Not overpriced roads. Not names of presidents on poor projects. We need leaders who care about people. Not thieves who smile while the country burns.

Let us keep speaking out. Let us not be silent. The money for that road could have helped many people. Instead, it helped a few already rich people. This is why we say enough is enough.

This is why we fight. This is why we write. Because Zimbabwe deserves better.