KATIMA MULILO – A newly reconstructed 31-kilometre bitumen road linking Lubuta and Sachona villages to the B8 Trans-Caprivi Highway in Zambezi is impassable, cutting off residents from essential services, including education and healthcare.
The road, completed to bitumen standard in 2024 and officially opened in 2025, connects mainland villages to the C49 Road and the B8 Highway, approximately 90 kilometres from Katima Mulilo. It links Lubuta, Sachona and Lizauli combined schools, as well as several surrounding villages.
However, despite passing through a low-lying floodplain area, the entire 31-kilometre stretch was constructed without a single culvert or water-passage tunnel, raising serious concerns about design oversight and value for money.
With the heavy rains pouring in Zambezi, large sections of the driveway connecting the villages to the B8 Road are washed away, leaving communities isolated. Residents living an estimated 10 to 20 kilometres from nearby schools and health facilities are now unable to access services, as vehicles – including ambulances – cannot reach the area.
“This road is supposed to connect us to opportunity, but instead it is cutting us off,” said Shebo Glen, an educator in the area who uses the road regularly.
“Learners are missing classes, teachers struggle to report for duty, and when someone falls sick, there is no way an ambulance can come through. What worries us most is that this road is new, yet it was built without culverts in a floodplain. We keep asking ourselves, ‘who approved this?” Glen questioned.
Some community members also expressed frustration that no basic roadside facilities, such as waste disposal points, were considered during construction, calling the project a waste of public funds.
The Roads Authority (RA) acknowledged that widespread heavy rainfall has caused damage to roads across the country, including in Zambezi.
RA CEO Mbahupu Tjivikua said Namibia is currently experiencing good rainfall and confirmed it is aware of reported damages on several routes, including the Grootfontein–Mururani Gate road, the Rundu–Divundu road – currently under rehabilitation – and several district roads in
Zambezi.
According to the authority, some of the affected roads are over 40 years old and, therefore, more vulnerable to prolonged and heavy rainfall. These roads are earmarked for rehabilitation under existing maintenance and upgrade programmes.
“Our technical and maintenance teams are on standby and will repair the affected sections as soon as weather conditions allow for safe and effective work,” Tjivikua said.
– anakale@nepc.com.na
