Council fails to attract investors

Midlands Bureau
Kwekwe City Council is still falling to attract investors at the now defunct Amaveni long distance bus terminus amid revelations that the city fathers were still to decide what to do with the idle property, several years after buses and commuter omnibus shunned it.

Privatising the terminus has been the priority for every new crop of elected councillors at Town House, but many of them have come and gone with the property proving to be a hard sell.

Former mayor, Councillor Shadreck Tobaiwa who once presided over council efforts to turn around the terminus and is now back at Town House as deputy mayor, said he was shocked to find the terminus still lying idle and in an even more dilapidated state.

“I left in 2013 when I lost in the council elections then. When I was the mayor, one of our main aim as city fathers then was to make sure that Amaveni Terminus which used to be a hive of activities during its time is sold or given to an investor so that it starts generating revenue like before,” said Clr Tobaiwa.

He said now he is back at the town house after five years and the terminus is still in a sorry state.

Mr Tobaiwa said he will work with the new crop of councillors to make sure that they try and make the abandoned terminus tick again.

“We are just new in office but I know the issue of this old terminus has always been a priority, I cannot fail for the second time. I will use my background knowledge to make sure that something is done at the terminus,” he said.

Clr Tobaiwa said when he left council in 2013, the terminus has been tendered and the bid had been won by an association of cross-border transporters.

“I still remember the terminus going to tender when I was the mayor. The bid was given to cross borders who wanted to turn it into a terminus for cross border transport only. I don’t know what happened but we will try and make a follow up and find out what happened to the initial plans,” he said.

There has been growing dissatisfaction from among the citizenry over poor management of councils by the opposition MDC which controls the running of most local authorities.