Residents in Chikwawa have asked authorities to speed up rehabilitation works on some roads in the district to facilitate mobility.
Some of the roads they have cited are Thabwa-Fatima Road, also known as Gwanda Chakuamba Highway, which branches from the M1 at Thabwa Trading Centre in Chikwawa and runs 60 kilometres in the East Bank of the Shire River to Muona-Fatima in Nsanje District.
The second is a five-kilomtere section between the M1 at Dyeratu in Chikwawa to Chikwawa Boma.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, motorcycle operator Yamikani Lingison from Lauji Village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Katunga said the stretch between Dyeratu Trading Centre and Chikwawa Boma
was in bad state.
“Motor vehicle drivers hit us when navigating away from potholes. The bad condition forces motor vehicles to spend at least 20 minutes on the stretch instead of an average of five minutes,” he said.
A bicycle operator Blessings Tambala from Domasi in T/A Mlilima said authorities seal potholes on the stretch with mud only when high-profile individuals are using it.
On the other hand, Trinity Hospital administrator William Allan from Muona-Fatima in Nsanje said patients referred to either Chikwawa District Hospital or Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre do not use the Thabwa-Fatima Road as a bridge at Mitondo in Chikwawa collapsed.
“Therefore, ambulances and other vehicles carrying patients use the Fatima-Thekerani-Thyolo-Blantyre Road.
In response, Roads Authority senior public relations officer Alice Chinthochi said the concerns about poor condition of roads in Chikwawa were valid.
She said: “The good news is that government and relevant agencies have already engaged contractors on the said roads. For instance, the Dyeratu-Chikwawa Project has been awarded to Top Range Contractors.
“The contractor has already mobilised equipment and work will start soon. “On Mitondo River Bridge along Thabwa-Fatima Road emergency repair works are being undertaken by Mungo
