Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube, Deputy Radar Editor
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has responded to pressure from potential investors, who criticised its Land Alienation Policy for Non-Residential Land as a barrier to major investments in the city.
An exclusive investigation by Sunday News in October revealed that unscrupulous developers were exploiting weaknesses in the council’s tendering process to hoard land without developing it, despite claiming full capacity to advance projects during bidding.
The practice excluded capable developers, who became frustrated and turned to other local authorities offering better investment opportunities.
Developers interviewed during the investigation accused the council’s Town Planning Department of hindering their efforts by insisting they wait for calls for expressions of interest, which had been made only twice in the past five years.
The investigation also found that over the last five years, the council advertised just two major tenders for land alienation: one in 2021, awarded in 2022 and another in December last year, which was yet to be awarded.
Following the investigation, the council has amended its Land Alienation Policy for Non-Residential Land regarding major investments.
According to the latest council report, the changes transfer some powers previously held by the Town Planning Director, Mr Wisdom Siziba, to the City Economic Development Officer, Mr Kholisani Moyo.
“After reflections, it had been noted that the City had a fully-fledged office for Investment Development, which was headed by the City Economic Development Officer (Cedo). Cedo and his office were the face of Bulawayo as far as investment was concerned and the first port of call for investors.
This office no doubt understood the appetite for investors and had the technical knowledge for the selection of suitable investors.
“It was in this regard that we proposed to take advantages of our synergies and have Cedo co-ordinate the land alienation of major investments.
“The alienation of land reserved for major investments shall be as per the Council resolution of 3rd August, 2022, which suspended the sale of undeveloped land and introduced lease with option to purchase once the effected development had complied with the minimum building conditions,” the report states.
Under the new arrangement, the Director of Town Planning will identify and avail all land reserved for major investments and forward it to Cedo for alienation.
“Cedo shall alienate such land either through Expression of Interest, which could be advertised through a prospectus or the usual public tender system to ensure compliance with section 152 of Urban Councils Act. Cedo shall be responsible for the alienation of land reserved for major investments up to award of the same.
“The Director of Town Planning Department shall take over the management of the alienated land once there was a Council resolution, starting with the preparation of offer letters as per the Policy on Management of non-residential land adopted on 3rd August, 2022.
“The Director of Town Planning Department shall remain responsible for the alienation of non-residential land for minor investments and other unsolicited bids,” the report adds.
Some of the land that will fall under Cedo’s mandate includes areas for hotels, motels, filling stations, commercial bays, commercial centres, medical facilities, townhouses, flat sites, residential stands and solar farms, among others.
Previously, the Director of Town Planning called for public tenders and advertised such land in the local Press in terms of Section 152 of the Urban Councils Act.
An interdepartmental tender adjudication committee chaired by the Town Planning Department reviewed bids and made recommendations to the Sub-committee on Allocation of Stands and Premises for Development.
Commenting on the changes, property developer Mr Tapiwa Nyazika praised the council for listening to their concerns.
“We had long insisted that the problem is within the Town Planning Department, we would approach council for land to do major investment projects but every time, the Town Planning Department would tell us to wait for the tender advertisement, which never came out.
“What frustrated us even more is that we were now being lured by smaller towns that wanted development and were willing to avail land, yet the city that we were born and raised in was shutting us out,” he said.
