Uhulumende uthi uzalungisa umgwaqo wethara osuka koBulawayo usiya eNkayi olakho njalo ukuxhumanisa izigaba ezinengi okuzakwenza kube lentuthuko ekhanyayo eMatabeleland North.
Sokwedlule iminyaka engamatshumi amathathu uhulumende ethembisa ukuba umgwaqo lo uzalungiswa kodwa akukhanyi ngitsho lakancane ukuthi sewakufeza lokhu ngoba usuphele du endaweni ezinengi lumgwaqo, oqakatheke kakhulu esabelweni lesi. Isiphathamandla sikahulumende sesithembisa njalo ukuthi kuzalungiswa ngemfanelo umgwaqo lo ngeminyaka elandelayo.
Amaphephandaba atshiyeneyo abika ukuba sokwabanjwabanjwa isibanga esiyisilinganiso samakilometers afika phose amatshumi ayisikhombisa kuphela – 65 kilometers selokhu kwaqalwa ngomnyaka ka1993 ukufakwa ithara emgwaqweni weBulawayo-Nkayi Road. Kwakukhangelelwe ukuba uzabe usulungiswe wonke ngomnyaka ka1999.
USenator Sengazo Tshabangu, owake wabuzisisa ngodaba lolu edale lephalamende, wakubeka sobala ukuba kukhanya engani kulungiswa isibanga esifika isilinganiso samakilometers amabili – 2 kilometers ngomnyaka kuphela, okutsho ukuthi kuzathatha iminyaka phose elikhulu – 90 years ukuze ufakwe ithala ngokugcweleyo.
Okwamanje uhulumende uthembisa ukuthi uzakwenza konke okusemandleni akhe ukuba ulungiswe umgwaqo lo ngesiphangiphangi. Isithembiso lesi sethulwe ngohola ugatsha lukahulumende olubona ngezokwakhiwa kwemigwaqo eMatabeleland North, uMnumzana Nkosinathi Ncube. Uthi kuleminye njalo imigwaqo abayilungisayo.
“Umgwaqo weNkayi ngumgwaqo oqakathekileyo kithi njalo sesinikeze idepartment of roads ukuba iwufake phambili nxa sekubuya kumnyaka ka2025, ku-budget for next year, iNkayi road iphambili … Sekuyisikhathi abantu bekhulima ngawo, njalo eceleni kuloweTsholotsho lawo sufuna ukukhangelwa, uzalungiswa yiyo yombili ephambili.”
UMnu. Ncube uthi okwamanje kabakabi lolwazi lwemali ezafakwa nguhulumende ukugcwalisisa lesisaziso. Uthi kuzavulwa njalo indlela abatshayeli abazayisebenzisa, ngoba inhloso yikuphala wonke nje beqale phansi.
UMnumzana Sydney Mthimkhulu, weNkayi koSivalo uthi ulokudana ngezithembiso ezifana lalezi ezisuka ziphelele emoyeni.
“Umgwaqo lo waqala ukwakhiwa ngo 93, ngile 15 years lamhlanje ngile 46 years. Bazama bamela eQueen’s ngaze ngaya eSouth Africa kwaze kwathi 2000 ngawufica ungakahambi. Sithelwa luthuli ftom Queens mine sizesiyebamba eNkayi Centre. Sitshaye olunye njalo sisiyabamba koSivalo.”
UMnu. Mthimkhulu uthi ngaphandle kwesimo esibi somgwaqo lo, abanye bengathola imikhuhlane ngenxa yothuli oluthunqa emgwagqweni weBulawayo/Nkayi
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“Umgqwaqo lo uxhumanisa iZhombe, iGokwe, iNkayi le Bulawayo. Bonke abantu laba bengatholola iTB kalula ngesimo sothuli emgwaqweni lengqubekela phambili kayibikhona umgwaqo unjalo.”
Kuleminye njalo imigwaqo okumele ilungiswe nguhulumende esabelweni lesi. Induna uMahlathathini weTsholotsho laye uthi isigaba sakhe sikhangelele ukuncedwa nguhulumende ngoba isiqhezuke kakhulu imigwaqo eminengi njalo eminye selokhe yalungiswa nguhulumende wabamhlophe kungakabi lohulumende wabansundu.
“Asingezake sikhulume ngayo, lo minister watsho ukuba iTsholotsho idinga ukulungiswa, ngaphandle lwe Solusi, Nkunzi le Tshefunye eminye le yonke idinga ukulungiswa.”
Abantu abahlala eNkayi, leTsholotsho lezinye izigaba bavumelana ukuba imigwaqo le ibaluleke kakhulu ekuthwaleni izigulane nxa zisiwa eMpilo Central Hospital koBulawayo, ikakhulu kwabasengozini, ukugula ngamandla kanye labahelelwayo ngesizatho sokuba isabelo seMatabeleland North kasilamtshina yonke yokwelapha laba kumbe abongi abeneleyo.
Nyakanye i-ambulance yabasengozini isiya esibhedlela seMpilo isuka eNkayi, ngemva kokuhelelwa ngamandla kowesifaze, owahle wedlulela khonapho.
Imigwaqo le inceda njalo abafundi nxa besiya ezikolo, osomabhizimisi, abakahulumende kanye lezinye nje inhambo zezakhamizi. Umgwaqo weBulawayo/Nkayi Road uxhumanisa iNkayi lezinye izigaba ezisemhlubulweni weMatabeleland North kanye leNkabazwe.
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