Zimbabwe opens its first solar power plant

Zimbabwe has opened its first solar power-driven toll plaza outside Bulawayo, according to a report today.

According to Beeld, the Ntabazinduna toll plaza is the first of at least eight being built in a project between the South African construction company Group Five and the Zimbabwean national road authority (Zinara) to upgrade the main road between Mutare and Plumtree.

The road is the main thoroughfare from east to west through the country and connects Zimbabwe to Mozambique and Botswana.

About 320 km of the total route of 820 km has been completed and the entire project is expected to be completed over 18 months.

Zimbabwe transport minister Nicholas Goche said the project could be seen as a model for other infrastructure projects.

He said the Zimbabwean government has realised that road building can no longer be financed from the fiscus, because then it competes with other social needs.