Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube, Deputy Radar Editor
INFORMAL traders continue eating into Bulawayo’s parking revenue while stalling the implementation of the parking management project with indications that the city has lost access to 736 parking bays that are occupied by informal traders.
The development leaves the city short of its minimum target under the multi-million-dollar smart parking management project while the rollout of key technologies and infrastructure continues to face delays.
The latest City of Bulawayo council report shows that although 6 978 parking bays have been identified across the project area, only 6 435 white parking bays and 543 reserved bays are available, with 736 white bays remaining unusable due to informal sector occupation in areas such as Fifth Avenue.
The report notes that the city is still below the contractual minimum requirement of 7 200 parking bays, a development that continues to delay full implementation of the Parking Management Project being undertaken by
“Delays in fulfilling the precedent condition of availing a minimum of 7 200 bays is one of the major challenges facing the project,” reads part of the report.
Council said efforts to create additional parking bays are continuing through pothole patching and road rehabilitation being undertaken by in-house teams and contractor Tokologo Civils.
According to the report, tenders for the supply of road marking paint have since been awarded and deliveries completed, allowing internal teams to begin renewing faded road markings and marking newly rehabilitated parking bays.
The local authority also revealed that it is engaging the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) to allow TTI to assume responsibility for delivering the outstanding parking bays.
“The council resolved on the request for the project to allow the counter party TTI to take over the precedent condition deliverable. Engagement with the ZIDA is currently ongoing on getting authority from the Cabinet PPP Committee on the change,” reads the report.
The Parking Management Project, which commenced in February 2022, was originally scheduled for completion in
February 2028, although council says a revised completion date is yet to be determined.
The report also highlights progress in deploying smart parking technologies. Rollout of AI-enhanced parking sensors, currently at five percent completion, is expected to begin in July after successful pilot testing in selected areas.
The rollout of sensors is on five percent completion. Implementation of the new sensors technology is being tested in some areas in the project area before full roll out. Roll out of the sensors is expected to commence in July 2026.
The project has since received the technologically advanced and AI enhanced tags.
“On camera monitoring, implementation is on 40 percent; roll out of the second phase of cameras has commenced, with delays being attributed to internet connectivity issues. The project has received the new spec cameras with AI enhancements,” reads the report.
The planned impound yard, which is 70 percent complete, has meanwhile been put on hold after council proposed relocating the facility for other uses.
Despite the setbacks, council says works to improve parking infrastructure remain ongoing as it seeks to meet contractual obligations and modernise parking management in the city.
Among the challenges identified are the slow rollout of works across the project area, low parking occupancy in some free parking zones and the continuous need to repaint road markings that deteriorate over time.
“Delays in fulfilling the precedent condition of availing a minimum of 7200 bays is one of the major challenges facing the project. There is a need to continuously renew road lines markings and parking bays marking, which deteriorate over time.
“Works to provide more parking bays, and meet the precedent condition set out in the agreement, are ongoing, with internal teams and selected contractors executing pot hole patching in the project area,” reads the report.
Bongani Ndlovu