Chronicle Editor
TERRACOTTA Private Limited (Terracotta), a South African company, won the US$60 million tender to rebuild Bulawayo’s Basch Street Bus Terminus in 2012.
Residents and businesses were excited at the news. The terminus was too pedestrian, old and boring. Just two columns of sheds sheltering turnstiles overlooking a hectare or two of concrete. There was that block of toilets on the side of OK Supermarket.
Terracotta was to pull that relic down and, in its place, build a modern edifice comprising a bus terminal, fast-food spaces, a facility for the anchor supermarket, 100-bay taxi rank, a security wall, security tower, 1 100 informal traders’ stalls, motor retail, taxi associations offices, public ablutions and a service lane.
But it took eight years for Bulawayo City Council to hand Terracotta a development permit. Without it, that company could not legally begin substantive work on the site. Only the demolitions and erection of the perimeter barricade of iron roofing sheets.
It was a poor start that, with the benefit of hindsight, should have opened our eyes to what the future was to be.
Some work finally started around July 2021.
From afar, we only see what look like the roofs of a few sheds. We recall that vendors, a few months ago, condemned the bays that Terracotta built, saying they are too small.
Residents and businesses who celebrated in advance for jobs, new trading space and a renewal of their city are justifiably angry. Angry at the local authority for failing to ensure delivery of what was to be a showpiece project. Angry at Terracotta for selling them only an impressive artistic impression.
“If I was at the helm of the city council, I would know that the delays in the construction directly affects the image not just of Bulawayo, you may even go on to say of Matabeleland and subsequently the whole nation,” we cite Association of Business Zimbabwe chief executive officer Mr Victor Nyoni as saying elsewhere in this edition.
“What does this mean? It means probably people here don’t understand the importance of creating an environment that is conducive for business in Zimbabwe and particularly in Bulawayo.
Clearly with this kind of leadership that we are providing as Bulawayans we are not helping the situation. We are making things bad for us. It does not give a good image for Bulawayo.”
Bulawayo Upcoming Traders Association member Mr Vincent Donga expressed disappointment at the poor performance of the contract.
“The Egodini project has taken too long and besides that they do not want to be open on its development,” he said.
“They are now even running away from us; they are no longer telling us the progress status.
The city centre has become congested as informal traders, we are blamed. Vendors are just occupying any space. They are selling from pavements making the city very dirty. We were hoping that if the project was completed the city would be decongested.”
We are equally disappointed.
It is clear that Terracotta has failed to deliver.
They have missed all the timelines that they signed up to meet. What are the challenges? It must be that they don’t have the money to undertake the project.
Given the non-performance, the local authority must scrap the contract and re-tender it so companies with the wherewithal can take it up and deliver for the city.
Online Reporter