Hopes and challenges of Macaneta as Incomáti bridge officially opens – Mozambique

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Hopes and challenges of Macaneta as Incomáti bridge officially opens – Mozambique

11:10 CAT | 23 Nov 2016

Jay's Beach Lodge / A view of the beach in Macaneta

I’s official! The bridge has been open for some time but the inaguration took place this morning.

The inauguration ceremony was presided by the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Carlos Bonete Martinho, and attended by the Governor of Maputo Province Raimundo Diomba, the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China among other state dignitaries, guests of honour and local residents.

macanetabridge1 — People gather for the traditional ceremony (Photo supplied)

The new bridge over the River Incomáti linking the district of Marracuene and the town of Macaneta raises high hopes for the region. In fact, the beautiful beaches of Macaneta have long been a favourite destination for people in Maputo and Matola, as they are only around 40 kilometres distant from the city .

With approximately 17 tourist resorts, appealing beaches for water sports and a wealth of fauna and flora, Macaneta has around 5,000 inhabitants whose main sources of income are agriculture and fishing.

It is expected that, with the opening of the bridge, Macaneta’s tourism sector will see substantial development.

Alberto Comé, Assistant to the Administrator of Macaneta, says construction of the bridge began on January 15, 2015 and cost about US$15 million. The bridge is 300 metres long and 11 metres wide, and the roadway is 7 metres above water level. It is part of the Maputo Ring Road project and can support trucks weighing up to 50 tonnes, and was built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

bridge7 — Minister Carlos Bonete Martinho (photo supplied)

Before the construction of the bridge, crossing to Macaneta meant small boats or the ‘Batelão’ ferry. The crossing itself took only about 10 minutes, but waiting time could stretch to 3 or 4 hours, and service terminated at 6:00 PM. Today, crossing the bridge takes a mere 1 to 2 minutes.

For João das Neves, President of Macaneta Economic Agents Association, the new bridge brings with it great challenges in terms of planning and responding to demand. “Most people coming to Macaneta go to the beaches, and currently they do not have public toilets, security, rubbish bins or car parking, for example.”

Despite this, das Neves says that the impact of the bridge is positive and is already being felt.

This is corroborated by Alna Van Vuuren, owner of the Jay’s Beach Lodge. “Before the bridge was opened, about 100 to 150 people visited Macaneta on weekends. After the opening, the number of visitors reached 4,000 people in a single weekend,” she said. Van Vuuren told Club of Mozambique that “before the bridge, the lodge would have guests only on weekends, but now we get visitors every day, without exception”.

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