Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Municipality has dropped the contractor hired to construct 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 a lower ground because waterlogging had become a perennial headache for transporters and travellers 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 includes paving the area, construction of parking bays and sheds, the erection of a perimeter wall, and a cloakroom.
However, civil works have been progressing at a slower pace, prompting a standoff between residents, travellers, and transport operators.
In an interview yesterday, the chairperson of the public works committee, Cllr Takavingei Mahachi, said the municipality will now carry out civil works on its own, aiming to open some bays by mid-December 2025.
“The project had taken longer than necessary to complete,” said Cllr Mahachi.
“When we came in, we understood the project had 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 the bill of quantities, and a shortage of funds. This project is being wholly funded by the council.”
He said the council 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.
He said so far the municipality had secured the materials, including sand and the pavers needed to surface the bus terminus.
“We have received support from the community and well-wishers, which includes the transportation of the pavers (g-blocks), sand, and the equipment such as pavers and compactors,” said Cllr Mahachi.
“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 revenue-generating avenues.
