The Divundu Muhembo border post road, which connects Namibia to Botswana and other SADC countries, is set to be upgraded to a bitumen standard road.
This was announced during a community meeting held at the Muhembo border post by the Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa.
The Divundu Muhembo border post road is mostly used by tourists, delivery trucks, and residents, and the road is a route for the Mahango Game Park for approximately 13 km.
It was stated that heavy trucks using this route to cross the border have made the road inaccessible to small vehicles.
Delivering a speech on behalf of the councillor of Mukwe Constituency, Damian Maghambayi, Ambrosius Nkumbwa shared that, in April 2021, engineers from the Roads Authority conducted a study to upgrade the road; however, it has now been nearly three years since the consultative meetings took place.
"Namibia's Vision 2030 emphasises our goal of becoming an industrialised nation by that year, and the Divundu-Muhembo road is no exception to this vision. This road is essential not only for enhancing connectivity but also for fostering economic development in the region. By upgrading this crucial link, we can stimulate trade, improve access to markets, and support tourism, all of which are vital for achieving our national objectives. Investing in the infrastructure of the Divundu-Muhembo road aligns perfectly with our commitment to sustainable growth and development."
During the meeting, it was shared that tender advertisement is ongoing until the 31st of October and work is set to commence in December this year.
"13.5 km of the 32 is already surfaced, but it's a low-value seal. What we are doing now is upgrading the road to full bitumen standard, which is a higher standard than the current low-volume seal. 19 km is the gravel section. We are doing the project in phases, and we are awarding phase one now, which is five km because the whole road is actually designed, so this financial year we are commencing with phase one, and the plan is before the end of phase one to award phase two so that the works continue back to back," said Division Manager for Network Maintenance, Mex Muatjeja.
Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa said the plan of the Divundu Muhembo border road is in the integrated strategic business plan book, and he admitted that the project is long overdue.
"Various meetings took place in terms of planning and so on with regards to this road, the Divundu-Bagani-Muhembo border post upgrade to bitumen standard road. In terms of planning, this road has been in the books, but today we will hear from the engineers that we are almost there now; if there was a delay, it was not a deliberate delay. My counterpart in Botswana, Minister Erik Mulale, always says, 'But when are you going to finish your part?' Because their part, I think it's done, so this is a road that concerns not only the inhabitants here; it is a road that all of us, including me as the Minister of Transport, cannot have a small link that is creating problems, and I agree that road is bad, particularly during the rainy season."
Mutorwa called on the engineers to work towards the realisation of the project and stay away from excuses.