peterVusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is set to open an expression of interest tender for the rehabilitation of the Renkini Long Distance Bus Terminus.
This comes at a time when the local authority is struggling to ensure the completion of the rehabilitation of Egodini Bus Terminus, with South Africa-based developer, Tearracotta Private Limited not committing on when the project will finally be completed.
Last Thursday, the local authority issued yet another projected completion timeline, saying Egodini will be open for kombis and traders by December this year.
BCC has since resolved to engage possible investors for the rehabilitation of Renkini Long Distance Bus Terminus, with the Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube saying this was forward planning on the part of the local authority.
The decision to modernise Renkini came after council’s committee on Town Lands and Planning together with senior council management went on a “look and learn” visit to the Gweru Municipality where among other projects they had an appreciation on how the Midlands city worked on the rehabilitation of Kudzanayi Bus Terminus.
According to the latest council report, the local authority has since resolved that an expression of interest be solicited from investors leading to the tendering of Renkini terminus redevelopment on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
“It was resolved to recommend that an expression of interest be solicited from investors leading to the tendering of Renkini Terminus redevelopment on a BOT basis.
The terminus can be supported by convenient legal pick-up points that should be an extension of it under the same BOT.
Or the council can enter into partnerships with developers for the development of Renkini Bus Terminus. Further council has to strengthen enforcement so that the buses use designated termini like Renkini and Egodini when it becomes operational,” reads the report.
Kudzanayi Long Distance Bus Terminus in Gweru rehabilitation was done at a cost of US$1,6 million following a partnership between Government, Gweru City Council (GCC) and a private sector organisation, Bentach Resources. It has created modern vending bays that can accommodate 800 vendors and can process more than 100 buses per day.
In sharp contrast to the development in Gweru, nothing tangible has materialised in the reconstruction of the Egodini Mall which started in 2016 in Bulawayo.
The proposed plans to redevelop Egodini into a multi-million mall and regional transport hub resulted in the displacement of vendors and transporters who were operating at Basch Street Bus Terminus.
This has caused chaos and congestion in the city centre as transporters and vendors have occupied undesignated areas while shunning regulated ones.
Questioned on the logic of BCC embarking on another project while they already failing to complete the Egodini project, Mr Dube said there was nothing wrong for the local authority to always plan ahead.
“A fact that we cannot run away from is that Renkini needs to be modernised, there is nothing wrong with forward thinking.
Renkini has to be modernised. As for Egodini we will have hope that they meet their set timelines, they have told us that the vending area will be complete by August with the rest of phases 1A set to be complete by December.
Council has started the process of engagement of stakeholders to ensure that the relocation back to Egodini by public passenger transporters is carried out without any hitches,” said Mr Dube.
Online Reporter