adminNqobile Tshili Chronicle Reporter
THE construction of a new shopping complex at Bulawayo’s Basch Street Terminus, popularly known as Egodini, will take longer than expected with council saying it needs more time to prepare for the project. Construction of the state of the art structure was set to commence last month.
However, council’s senior public relations officer Nesisa Mpofu yesterday said the project was huge hence the delays in its commencement.
“The project is still on course. This is a huge project hence preparatory work has taken longer than planned. While dates have been missed, this does not mean the project has failed,” she said.
Mpofu said the council was still discussing some of the terms of the contract with the South African based contractor which was awarded the tender to develop the complex.
“We are currently in the process of finalising the project and the stakeholders will be advised when everything is in place to start the project.
“The draft contract has been sent to the developer and the discussions in some of the clauses are under way,” she said.
Hundreds of vendors and commuter omnibuses operating at the complex will be displaced once construction work begins.
Council had said the vendors and kombi crews would be relocated to temporary sites to be identified.
Council awarded a South African engineering firm, Terracota (PVT) Ltd, the tender to convert Egodini into a regional public transport hub for local, regional minibus taxis and luxury coaches passing through the city.
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