A Chinese miner, Ming Chang Sino-Africa Investments Limited (Ming Chang), has sponsored the rehabilitation roads in the Simona communal area which is on the border between Mazowe and Bindura, bringing relief to about 9 000 villagers who were struggling to move their farm produce to markets.
The company has already spent over US$100 000 on the first phase of the rehabilitation of a 6km stretch on the main road linking its gold mine and the surrounding areas.
The larger part of the first phase involved the part of the road leading directly to the mine and resurfacing of a derelict gravel road. The other 4km leads to a nearby shopping centre and clinic.
Commodities trader, Isah Mazwi said the rehabilitation of the road had seen his business improve. He said:
We had to hire small trucks or use animal-drawn carts to carry maize and cotton to the tarred road.
We also struggled to get inputs and contract farmers avoided this area because of the bad roads.
Ming Chang told The Standard during a tour of the road works in Bindura last week that work on the remaining stretch was expected to commence soon.
Ming Chang Sino-Africa recently rehabilitated a 14km gravel road in Bindura and has painted schools and provided computers and learning materials in rural communities.
Besides the road in Simona, the company has constructed roads in various places, including Kwekwe, Masvingo and Shamva.
The company’s spokesperson on the Simona site Link Yang said the roads had improved access to facilities such as hospitals.