Vusumuzi Dube
Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
A clash between the Bulawayo City Council and road developer, Bitumen World, over a piece of land located in Umguza District which the two parties claim ownership of is likely to cause some hiccups in the commencement of rehabilitation works along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road.
BCC reportedly acquired the said piece of land in 2005 and has plans to establish a waste water treatment plant while Bitumen World got a certificate of registration to establish a quarry mine at the same piece of land in 2021.
According to a council confidential report Bitumen argues that their project should take precedence considering that the road development project is an exercise of national importance.
“The Director of Town Planning (Mr Wisdom Siziba) reported that council required land for the establishment of waste water treatment plant on Subdivision L of the Helensvale Block Farm, council acquired Lot 1 of Subdivision L of the Helensvale Block through court order case LA402/00 for the establishment of a waste water treatment plant.
“The transfer of the property was given to Messrs Coghlan and Welsh through a letter from the Chamber Secretary dated 16 September 2006. A letter was received from Webb Low and Barry Legal Practitioners indicating that Bitumen World was intending to establish quarry mining on the same piece of land. Council had not given authority to Bitumen World to establish quarry mining as such a letter of objection to the establishment of the same was written to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development,” reads part of the report.
In their correspondence relating to the piece of land Bitumen World indicated that they were first awarded a certificate of registration for the claim on 11 June 2021 and still have an intact Environment Impact Assessment certificate expiring on 11 October 2024.
“The main purpose of this quarry claim was to service the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls roads, of which the work has now commenced through a contract awarded by the Ministry of Transport on these sections and quarry establishment is not only imminent, but crucial to the project’s success.
Given that the road development project is considered a project of national importance, we would seek to make use of the claim for our intended use, and feel unjustly hindered by the objection lodged against us,” reads a letter from Bitumen, contained in the report.
The company noted that it had tried to keep all documentation, registration, inspections, mining claims, and EIA current and up to date over the last two years in anticipation of the road development project.
“Bitumen World was never timeously made aware of a proposed acquisition of the claim in question by City of Bulawayo from Umguza Rural District Council despite having paid for due process of registering the claim and keeping it up to date.
“Our project has officially commenced with a possibility of penalties for non-completion in a specified time frame, let alone the cost implications of locating and registering a new claim and there are other surrounding Lots of Subdivision L which may be suited for construction of waste water treatment plant,” noted the company.
Bitumen World also suggested that the local authority avail their project plans and programme for the proposed treatment plant, in the hope that it may try and fit the development in the southern end of the subdivision in question, or perhaps make use of an appropriate adjacent subdivision
“If we cannot reach an amicable solution, we may have to obtain another suitable claim in the area and would require urgent assistance from Ministry of Mines in doing so.
However, as we have not allowed for the unforeseen hindrance and the significant cost implications involved, we request that the tentative costs incurred for the registration of a new claim shall be waivered by Ministry of Mines as they have already been paid for, only for our claim registration to be withheld and now possibly rejected,” reads the response.
The local authority has since resolved to transfer the matter from the town planning department to the legal section under the chamber secretary’s office so that they defend it.
Online Reporter