Bulawayo – Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Advocate Felix Mhona, has declared that the transport sector stands at the “centre of economic transformation” for Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, while issuing a stern call for the urgent establishment of an integrated road traffic authority to halt the “carnage” on the nation’s roads.

Officially opening the 9th Session of the Line Minister’s Public Entities Corporate Governance Oversight Meeting in Bulawayo on 20 June 2026, Minister Mhona emphasized that the performance of State-owned enterprises is integral to national development.

“Corporate governance standards are the bedrock of national development,” he stated.

The meeting, held under the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act [Chapter 10:31], brought together boards of parastatals under the Ministry’s purview to review progress and enforce accountability.

While lauding significant infrastructure milestones, including the progress on the Harare-Beitbridge Highway and the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road rehabilitation, the Minister delivered a stark warning on road safety.

He invoked the recent directive from President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who on 28 May 2026 called for “drastic measures and lasting solutions targeting irresponsible behaviour and unroadworthy vehicles on our roads”.

Minister Mhona challenged the Transport Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ), VID, and other agencies to consider a radical restructuring of traffic management.

“We should do more on formulation of strong institutions for the pre-accident regime. Let us work towards establishing the integrated road traffic authority or agency with the powers to enforce road traffic safety laws and stop the carnage. Even if it involves moving the VID, RMT, CVR to that institution, let it be,” he declared.

The Minister also confirmed progress on legislative reforms, revealing that the Road Accident Fund Administration (RAFA) bill is ready for the Cabinet Committee on Legislation following a peer review with Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi .

Background: Second Republic’s Road Rehabilitation Drive

The infrastructure projects cited by Minister Mhona are part of a massive, sustained road rehabilitation programme initiated under the Second Republic.

Since the launch of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP), the government has sought to rebuild a road network that had suffered years of neglect . The programme, extended into 2026, has facilitated projects like the re-opening of the first rehabilitated stretches of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway and the construction of the Mabvuku Traffic Interchange in Harare.

In 2025 alone, the government spent ZiG15.7 billion on road rehabilitation, exceeding its initial target and focusing on pothole patching, regravelling, and major arterial upgrades.

The Ministry has also emphasized re-establishing road maintenance units and is rolling out 66 pieces of road equipment to all provinces to decentralize maintenance capacity and reduce reliance on hired machinery.

The government maintains that these developments are critical enablers of its goal to achieve an upper-middle-income society by 2030.