By Paul Nyathi

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced that his government has resolved to start afresh the tendering process on the dualisation of the accident prone Beitbridge Harare Highway.

Mnangagwa revealed this in China to Chinese engineers on Thursday announcing the withdrawal of the tender awarded to Austrian firm, Geiger in May 2016.

Briefing the Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation (AFECC) Mnangagwa said Government had become impatient with lack of construction activity on the very busy highway whose condition has deteriorated badly leading to massive deaths caused by accidents on the very bad road.

“In the area of infrastructure development, we need bidders for the dualisation and widening of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Highway,” he said.

“For two years we have had problems with Geiger, so Cabinet has taken a decision to institute a legal process to terminate the deal as a result of non-performance.”

Mnangagwa who obviously looked kin to engage the Chinese company take over the road works told AFECC executives that there was room for the firm to take up some of the oppportunities presented in infrastructure development in the country.

He commended AFECC for investing in Zimbabwe.

“We are very grateful to AFECC for taking the risk to invest in Zimbabwe at that time during which only very few companies could do so,” said President Mnangagwa.

AFECC has so far constructed the Zimbabwe National Defence College in Harare, Longchen Plaza also in Harare and the Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare, and intends to put up a hotel and conference centre in Victoria Falls.

The company worked with the Chinese companies that looted diamonds revenue in the Chiadzwa Diamond fields during former President Robert Mugabe’s government.