Roads Authority calls for bids for rehabilitation of Nasolo River Bridge in Ndirande Township

* Ndirande Ring Road is a very important access road to the business hub of the populous Ndirande Township

* Which covers from where it used to be known as B&C all the way to Ndirande Market

* And past it to connect with business hub of Chinseu, all the way to reach Magalasi Road at Blantyre Girls Primary School

By Duncan Mlanjira

As if responding to plans by residents of Ndirande Township to march to Blantyre City Council Civic Offices in protest of the dilapidated state of the Nasolo Bridge along the Ndirande Ring Road, the Roads Authority-Malawi has invited interested contractors to apply for bids for rehabilitation of the Nasolo box culvert.

With funding from the Roads Fund, the Roads Authority announces on its advertisement for the calls for the bids that it has budgeted public funds for the procurement of various works in the 2024-2025 financial year.

“The RA received specific funding from the Beit Trust and intends to apply the funds to cover eligible payments under the construction of Nasolo box culvert on Ndirande Ring Road,” says the advert.

Ndirande Ring Road is a very important access road to the business hub of the populous Ndirande Township, which covers from where it used to be known as B&C all the way to Ndirande Market and past it to connect with business hub of Chinseu, all the way to reach Magalasi Road at Blantyre Girls Primary School.

Thus the Nasolo River Bridge connects all business needs of the township, whose roads in the past few years have eroded away due to fierce climate challenges — with the bridge being one on the most affected despite several rehabilitations to it.

These rehabilitations are suspect of poor workmanship coupled with illegal sand mining and heavy disposal of waste, which block water flow during heavy rains — thus eating away the bridge’s embankment and river banks that support it.

A video that has circulated on social media, captures a Ndirande business community leader bemoaning that the state authorities have visited the township on several occasion, to access the challenges being faced, including that of the Nasolo bridge.

He was captured telling other residents present that the visits include that of the Vice-President Michael Usi, who assured that something was to be done to the bridge and other challenges being faced by the businesses and the community at large.

Last week, Minister of Information & Digitalisation passed by Ndirande Township and stopped by the Nasolo River Bridge to assess its state — but unfortunately some bad elements caused havoc by stoning his car convoy.

As nothing yet was being done, the business community leader assured the gathering that plans were underway to march to the Civic Offices to present a petition.

However, the Roads Authority issued the call for the bids yesterday to rehabilitate the bridge and asks eligible bidders to submit sealed bids to its Southern Regional Offices in sealed envelopes clearly marked Procurement Reference Number and contract details at or before 10h00 on December 13, 2024.

They are to be accompanied by a Bid Declaration Form and that late bids shall be rejected. The bids shall opened in the presence of the bidders representatives at Roads Authority Southern Regional Offices from 10h00 on December 13, 2024.

Other road challenges that people are complaining of — that nothing is being done to — include the ring road to Makata and Malabada, which is in very dilapidated state, yet it is an all-important access to the CCAP-Blantyre Synod’s Malabada Health Centre’s ambulance and other motorists carrying patients.

This road is a ring road as after the tarmac, it goes on and on its first stretch, passes Ndirande Hill Secondary School and goes on past junction to Malabada Health Centre, Bishop Mark Kambalazaza’s Charismatic Redeemed Ministries and other churches.

It goes on and enters into residential area named Ndirande Safarao to connect to the now tarred access road to Makheta and all the way to Limbe.

Soon after President Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in as Head of State in 2020, he attended Kambalazaza’s church sermon and a day prior to it, the State authorities had the road rehabilitated by just applying gravel on all huge potholes — rather craters — and grading it to make it as smooth as possible for the President’s convoy.

After that, the rains — coupled with Cyclone Ana and Freddy — washed away the gravel leaving the road in further pitiable state, including that from Chinseu to Blantyre Girls Primary School.

This stretch has since been well rehabilitated by building deeper drains on both its side and also building a bridge as outlet for runaway water from the higher areas — but the tarmac itself, needs another retouch since the contractor only patched up potholes.

When he visited Ndirande in July specifically on the processes of the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) loans to business persons in the populous township, Vice-President Usi, assured residents that construction of the Nasolo Bridge would will commence in less than two months.

This was after Ndirande Market chairperson, Chancy Widoni raised the issue about Nasolo Bridge when the Vice-President toured main Ndirande Market recently.

Usi was quoted by Malawi News Agency (MANA) as saying: “I came here for the National Economic Empowerment Fund programme but the chairperson of the market told me about the bridge and I came to see the situation. The bridge is very dangerous to cross.

“I tried to find out why the bridge was not constructed and it was disclosed that this is due to some government officials whose conduct scared away donors.

“Engineers have been instructed to come up with sketches right away. The plan is that the bridge should be fit for that purpose and should finish before the rains start,” Usi had said..

Present was Blantyre City Deputy Mayor, Isaac Jomo Osman, who commended the Vice-President for touring the bridge and for the government’s commitment to construct it.

He had said the bridge has claimed many lives and business people have lost their property and he also appealed to the government to consider other infrastructural projects in the area like the maintenance of Ndirande Market — stating that the market accommodates a large number of business people contrary to its present capacity.