By A Correspondent| The construction of the Trabablas Interchange ended up costing US$114 million — a 32% overrun from its original US$88 million budget.
Presenting the figures in parliament on Wednesday, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube admitted that the government dipped into the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to plug the US$26 million funding gap.
The initial budget, funded through a loan from Fossil Mines — a company linked to businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei — was pegged at US$88 million. However, responding to a question from Luveve MP Decent Bhajila, Ncube revealed that US$26 million from the IMF allocation was used as a deposit toward the project.
“The cost of Trabablas Interchange was driven by our initial loan arrangement of US$88 million, provided by the consortium of contractors,” said Ncube. “We used US$26 million from the SDRs to pay the deposit. So, we blended both the SDRs and the loan. I think it is fair to say that what you see at Trabablas is a world-class product. It took time, but it is money well spent.”
Ncube’s justification, however, was met with strong pushback from opposition MPs, who questioned the lack of parliamentary approval for the budget overspend.
Dangamvura-Chikanga MP Prosper Mutseyami challenged the minister to explain why the extra US$26 million was needed, pointing out that the original budget had been expected to cover the entire project.
Chinhoyi MP Leslie Mhangwa, an engineer by profession, argued that relocation and other ancillary costs should have been factored into the initial project design.
In response, Ncube said the additional costs were mainly due to unforeseen expenses related to relocating residents to make way for the massive interchange.
“The cost of relocating residents to create space led to unexpected escalations,” Ncube explained. “Such variations are common. You can’t predict them all during planning. Projects overrun – that’s normal.”
MPs pressed further, questioning how such a critical component — relocation — could have been left out of the original financial planning. But Ncube stood firm, stating that such overruns are only identified during implementation.
“You can never plan for all cost overruns upfront. You encounter them during execution,” he said.
Breaking down the US$88.3 million initially spent, Ncube said US$65.5 million went toward core engineering work — including contractor setup, traffic accommodation, stormwater protection, and road foundation structures.
An additional US$16 million was spent on constructing 12 bridges, while supervisory engineering fees and electrical works accounted for a combined US$6.8 million.
“The relocation costs of US$26 million were separate and not part of the original scope,” he clarified.
The government’s decision to rename the interchange Trabablas has also drawn public criticism, with many viewing it as a politicisation of national infrastructure.
Despite the backlash, Ncube defended the project, calling it a “flagship development” that should be replicated in other parts of the country.