By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, 23 September, mana: For four long years, the Chakazi Bridge, washed away by heavy rains in 2017, left thousands of Mzimba residents stranded, forcing them to endure tiring diversions on their way to Mzimba Boma and surrounding areas like Bulala, Edindeni, Euthini, and Mbalachanda. The bridge, located on the Kandodo Chisi-Chitapa Moyo Road, had been a vital link, providing the shortest route to and from Mzimba Boma. Its sudden disappearance plunged communities into chaos.

Farmers could no longer easily transport their goods to market. School children, business people, and those seeking medical attention at Mzimba District Hospital had to take longer, costlier routes. The absence of the bridge became a daily source of frustration and hardship, affecting almost everyone in the area.

For Fraternal Nkosi, a resident of Mpande village in Traditional Authority Chindi, the bridge’s collapse was a personal nightmare. In 2019, while crossing the Mzimba River at Chakazi, Nkosi nearly lost his newly-earned Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture certificate due to the lack of a safe passage.

After years of travel difficulties, relief finally came in 2021 with the inauguration of a new Chakazi Bridge. Its opening marked the end of a difficult chapter for Mzimba’s residents and ushered in a new era of smoother, safer journeys. For Nkosi and many others, the bridge's return was nothing short of life-changing.

‘‘After graduating in 2019, that year I almost lost my certificate on my way home to Mpande village. Lack of bridge on the Mzimba River at Chakazi made me wade through the waters and during that trek one of my bags containing my degree certificate slipped through my hands and fell into the raging water,” he said.

Nkosi says that thanks to some errand boys at the river bed carrying stranded travellers’ luggage across the river at a fee, they had to swim after the bag and managed to fetch it for him.

‘‘That’s how I managed to regain my bag containing my certificate which I wanted to show my parents back home. This journey was organized to show my educational milestones to my parents back home through the certificate I obtained after four years of study. I regret that it would have been a fruitless trip had I lost the certificate due to lack of a bridge on Chakazi,” says Nkosi.

There are many tales shrouded in pain and hopelessness that communities living between the Chakazi Bridge in Mzimba and other villages across it recount on how the absence of a proper bridge affected their livelihood.

Obedi Banda from Saulosi Nkosi village explains that school-going children from the villages who learn at Mzimba Boma in secondary schools such as Mzimba Secondary School, Malo Private Secondary and Christin Private Academy suffered a lot during the time the area had no bridge.

People living in Euthini, Mbalachanda, Bulala, Endindeni, and other surrounding areas faced tough times in accessing various facilities at the Mzimba Boma after the bridge they had been using since time immemorial was washed away in November 2017.

‘‘Villagers living across Chakazi Bridge use the bridge as their only way to Mzimba Boma. So when the first bridge collapsed and there was no other bridge, the people were left with no access to the other end connecting to Mzimba Boma. It’s like the entire communities across it were disconnected from the rest of the world,’’ he said.

Banda added that people living across Chakazi have to access almost everything from Mzimba Boma.

‘‘We talk of the referral hospital, is at Mzimba district hospital at the boma, some schools and big wholesale shops are at Mzimba Boma. So almost every sector of society was affected badly by the dysfunctional bridge at Chakazi as all these people were disconnected. We thank the government for constructing this Chakazi Bridge. It has made us get connected to the rest of the country. Life has come back to normal,” said Banda.

In a normal setup, it costs MK2,500 for communities living closer across Chakazi Bridge to travel to the Boma but the lack of a functional bridge made fares go up wildly and the costs associated with traveling made commuting between Mzimba Boma and the other communities difficult.

People traveling from the other side had to disembark from their vehicles and wait for vehicles from the other side. Then they would hire errand boys to carry them across the river to the other side.

“So we paid dearly for the lack of a bridge. People paid a lot of money to be carried on the backs of some sturdy boys earning a living from carrying people on their shoulders across for them to board the cars on the other side of the river,’’ he said.

Now, thanks to the construction of the Chakazi Bridge by the Malawi government all the traveling nightmares have become a song of the past.

In 2021, after almost five years of passengers facing traveling hurdles because of a lack of a bridge, the government inaugurated the MK1.6 billion Chakazi Bridge and life has been better.

‘It’s a smooth bridge and beautiful too. No more risks,’’ remarks Nkosi.

‘‘Sometimes I fail to come to terms that it's on the same bridge that I almost lost my certificate and it sounds like a lie. Traveling has become easier, and the ride is enjoyable. It’s a two-lane bridge. All the traveling nightmares have been erased with this bridge,” he said.

With such a bridge, business people no longer have to struggle to ferry their farm produce to the market, school-going children have it easy to travel to schools and taxi drivers can take passengers to their destinations, and the sick who get referred to Mzimba district hospital no longer encounter traveling nightmares as Chakazi Bridge restored life for Mzimba communities.

Speaking in an interview, Traditional Authority Chindi expressed gratitude to the government for hearing the pleas of his people for a bridge at Chakazi.

“Indeed, this bridge has brought happiness to people in communities as most people who were struggling to cross over on the bridge are now able to cross without any struggles,” said Chindi.

Chindi said the lack of a bridge created so many traveling challenges for his people.

‘‘There was nobody who was spared. Business persons, school children, and even expectant mothers were all affected. It is a relief that after four years government opened the bridge to traffic and this has lessened all the challenges among people,” he said.

M’mbelwa District Council Director of Public Works, Allan Chitete said the construction of the Chakazi bridge has helped end troubles associated with traveling that tormented people living across Mzimba Boma who were using longer routes to access Mzimba Boma where many economic activities take place.

‘‘We therefore rejoice in the realisation that the construction of this bridge will lead to a boom in economic activities that people engage in such as farming and various businesses. It will also ease challenges for women and men going to access various treatments from the Mzimba district hospital,” said Chitete.