From Beitbridge it passes through Rutenga, Ngundu, Masvingo, Mvuma, Chivhu before reaching Harare.

][1] The A4/R1 Highway together with the R3 Highway which runs from Harare to Chirundu forms the Chirundu-Beitbridge Regional Road Corridor, which is part of the North-South Corridor known as the Cape to Cairo Road (Chirundu to Beitbridge 897 kilometres, 557 miles).

[4] The R1 is the most direct link between the capital cities of Harare and Pretoria, and together with the R3 provide Zambia access to the Indian Ocean ports.

The road is the most direct link between the capital cities of Harare and Pretoria, and provides landlocked Zambia access to the Indian Ocean ports of Durban and Richards Bay in South Africa.

It also part of the national route called A9 that starts at Mutare and ends at Mbalabala via Masvingo.