“Victoria Falls Is Marooned”: Hwange MP sounds alarm over Bulawayo-Victoria falls road ahead of Cricket World Cup

By Staff Writer, Parliamentary Watch

HARARE — A lawmaker from Matabeleland North painted a grim picture in Parliament on Thursday, 8 October 2026, of life along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway, warning that the road’s catastrophic condition has effectively cut off one of Zimbabwe’s most important cities.

Hon. Bonda, the Member of Parliament for Hwange East, used the debate on President Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered on 29 September 2026, to raise the alarm about a crisis that, she said, has stripped communities of basic services and MPs of their dignity. They also noted that the Government’s commitment of only 50 kilometres of repairs is woefully inadequate for a 400-kilometre stretch that serves ambulances, border posts, mines and tourists.

“The city of Victoria Falls is now marooned and only reachable by air, which a normal citizen in these communities struggles to afford to visit Falls in and out of Matabeleland North,” he told the House.

Ambulances are no longer managing to reach the communities. Some roads to the communities are now impassable. For example, from Binga to Mpilo Hospital, if an ambulance had to be committed to take a patient from Binga to Mpilo Hospital, and also think about Hwange to United Bulawayo Hospitals, it is now practically impossible.”

Hon. Bonda said that MPs from the region have been forced to travel by bus because their official vehicles have been destroyed by the road. She estimated that of the 400-kilometre road, only 70 kilometres have been serviced and resurfaced to date. Against this backdrop, the Government’s commitment of an additional 50 kilometres as highlighted by the President fell far short of what was needed.

“I, therefore, pray that 50 kilometres be increased to serve life in Matabeleland North,” he appealed to Parliament.

The MP raised additional concerns about the health consequences of the temporary detours set up to bypass the damaged road. Dust clouds from these diversions, he said, posed a public health risk to communities living along the route.

“Communities along the detours have been subjected to airborne disease due to the heavy clouds of dust from the detours that have stayed longer than expected. For example, if you look at Cross-Dete to Dete, there is a very big cloud that is going to leave that community sick from diseases like psychosis and tuberculosis,” he warned.

He also noted that the damaged main road had pushed heavy traffic onto village paths not built to carry such loads.

“The bad state of Victoria Falls Road has now caused destruction of village roads in areas like Kulula in Lupane communities, as the trucks try to traverse and avoid the gullies on the main roads and now use the small roads that are meant for people to use in the communities,” he said.

The road’s condition takes on added urgency given that Zimbabwe will host the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, with matches scheduled in Victoria Falls, Bulawayo and Harare.

Hon. Dhanzi, who spoke earlier in the same debate, had urged the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development to deliver on the President’s commitment of 50 kilometres of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway “before the first ball is bowled.”

“Our visitors must land on runways and drive on roads that match our ambitions; first impressions last forever,” Hon. Dhanzi said.

Hon. Bonda was more direct: “With the Cricket World Cup in Victoria Falls in a few months to come, tourists from the region who wish to drive to Victoria Falls will miss the tournament due to the state of the road. By doing so, the country will lose a lot of revenue.”

He concluded by also highlighting the poor state of the Cross-Dete to Binga Road, describing it as “atrocious to drive on,” and noting that the Binga Road connects to a newly opened border post with Zambia, a tourist area along the Zambezi Valley and is a key route to the Gwayi-Shangani water project, the source of Bulawayo’s long-awaited bulk water supply.

“The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road is a trans-road leading to five land border posts and one international airport and many mines in forest areas,” he submitted.

The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway, one of the most strategically important roads in Zimbabwe, links Zimbabwe’s second city to the world-famous resort and border town of Victoria Falls. Deterioration of the road has been a persistent complaint from Matabeleland North communities, whose access to hospitals, schools, markets and economic opportunities depends on it.

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