Pevensey Road, Highlands

To take a road is to go on a journey, an adventure, hopefully an exciting one and, with any adventure, you never know what is going to unfold around the corner. Never a more true word said than in our homeland. When we Zimbabweans go on a road trip these days, it is no understatement to say that we take our lives into our own hands. The state of the majority of our roads, simply put, are perilous and we really do not know what lies ahead! We have to practice defensive driving.

It was our country who introduced the innovative strip road system in the 1930s, and until then, all roads outside the towns throughout Africa (including South Africa) where no more than dirt or, at best, gravel surfaced. Up until a few months ago, Pevensey Road’s surface had declined to such a poor level that you would be forgiven for thinking that we had travelled back through time to the pre 1930’s era. Gravel, dirt and some stubborn patches of tar were all that remained of our road despite various efforts, from fed-up residents, to fill in the potholes and patch up gaps themselves with mud and bricks over the years, only to see their efforts wash away in the rains.

All of this changed once Bitumen became part of the Pevensey community and to our collective joy they took on the task of resurfacing our road. I for one was worried about the disruption it would cause, not sure that I could take on any more stress, particularly at the start and end of each day but my fears were soon allayed. From start to finish, we residents were treated with the utmost courtesy. Timeous notification was given, the schedule set out so we knew what to expect and how to proceed in order not to hinder nor halt the project once it was underway. This was adhered to by all and more impressively the Bitumen team who carried out ‘Project Pevensey’ did so with expert efficiency. Once the machinery and equipment rolled into action, the team took control and in no time at all we had a world class road on our doorstep, complete with perfectly shaped speed humps, a rarity indeed. As one happy resident commented “I am looking forward to saving money by not having to replace my tyres so often!”

What a joy, we have gone from Pothole Pevensey to Perfect Pevensey. Thank you Bitumen Zimbabwe for not only making this possible, but for expediting the project in such a professional and considerate manner. Not only do we have a perfect road but a safer road and I for one feel a sense of calm as I turn on to the road each morning when I leave home and return at the end of the day. Home Sweet Home Perfect Pevensey Rd.