Egodini project a “headache” – says BCC, as contractor fails to meet deadlines since 2016

THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) is weighing options after Terracotta Trading (Pvt) Limited, which was awarded tender to develop the former Egodini taxi rank into a modern mall and regional transport hub has repeatedly failed to set meet deadlines since taking over the site in 2016.

The company was awarded the tender in 2015 to transform the area but eleven years down the line a section of the project has been opened.

Responding to questions during a media engagement at the Council Chambers on Wednesday, Acting Town Clerk, Mrs Sikhangele Zhou, said the South African company missed the July 1, 2026 deadline given by council.

“Egodini project continues to be a headache to us, for starters they are out of time, and they changed their shareholding structure. They had promised that the changes will strengthen them so that they will be able to resume work,” she said.

“They were set to resume works on the first of July according to what they had promised us but they have failed to do so. We have put them on terms, that is, to ask them to explain themselves so that we may consider our options going forward, if it still fails.

“The city had thought that there was hope with the restructuring of Terracotta. We thought we could give the new structure a chance to complete the project but we were disappointed when they didn’t return.”
Mrs Zhou said the council was watching the company closely and action to be taken will be determined by the reaction.

Stakeholders have said the non-completion of the project was responsible for the chaos in the city centre with multiple illegal pick up points by kombis who refuse to use the opened section.