Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Municipality has dropped the contractor hired to construct the Dulivhadzimu long-distance bus terminus, citing delays in completing the project.
The local authority initiated the project in 2012, but it has been plagued by delays, sparking outrage among transporters and residents.
The bus terminus was moved from lower ground, where waterlogging had become a perennial headache during the rainy season. The tender for the project was awarded to a Bulawayo-based firm, Ultra Construction, around 2018.
It is understood that the refurbishment of the bus terminus entailed paving the area, constructing parking bays and sheds, as well as erecting a perimeter wall and a cloakroom.
However, civil works have been progressing at a slow pace, prompting a standoff between residents, travellers and transport operators.
In an interview yesterday, chairperson of the public works committee, Councillor Takavingei Mahachi, said the municipality will now carry out civil works on its own, aiming to open some bays by mid-December.
“The project had taken longer than necessary to complete,” said Cllr Mahachi.
“When we came in, we understood the project was started in 2012, and a lot of things have happened that slowed down progress. These include the constant changes in the natural economic climate, changes in bill of quantities and shortage of funds. This project is being wholly funded from council funds.”
The council, he said, had decided to drop the contractor and construct the facility on its own. Cllr Mahachi said they had come up with a lasting solution to get work moving at a faster pace.
So far, he said, the municipality had secured the material, including sand and pavers needed to surface the bus terminus.
“We have received support from the community and well-wishers, which include the transportation of the pavers, sand and the equipment such as compactors,” he said.
“At the moment, we are now laying the pavers, and we expect to open some of the bays by mid-December this year.”
The bus terminus project is being implemented in line with the local authority’s thrust to change the face of the border town and increase avenues for revenue generation.
The municipality was forced to move the bus terminus from the Wamulala Stream, where waterlogging had become a perennial problem.
It is estimated that over 60 intercity buses use the Beitbridge bus terminus daily, linking the town with other urban areas across the country.
Early this year, some bus operators had to move out of the rank to a new site, citing the bad state of the council bus terminus.
They returned to the council rank at the intervention of Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Albert Nguluvhe, who is also Beitbridge East legislator.
