Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube, Deputy Radar Editor
UNSCRUPULOUS developers are exploiting weaknesses in Bulawayo City Council’s tendering processes to hoard land without developing it, despite claiming full capacity to advance projects during the bidding stage.
This practice has led to the exclusion of capable developers, who become frustrated and instead turn to other local authorities offering better investment opportunities.
Other developers have accused the council’s Town Planning Department of hindering their investment efforts by insisting they wait for calls for expressions of interest, calls, which have been made only twice in the past five years.
An investigation by Zimpapers found that over the last five years, council advertised just two major tenders for land alienation: one in 2021, awarded in 2022 and another in December last year, which is yet to be awarded.
While these tenders included commercial stands for fuel stations, recreational facilities and schools, most available opportunities were limited to tuckshops, factory shells and small shops in residential areas.
A recent inspection of commercial stands awarded in 2022 showed that, after more than three years, no development work has commenced, highlighting ongoing delays and inefficiencies within the system.
One of the stands is that of a filling station located close to the Nkulumane Shopping Mall, no work has begun at the project site.
According to the local authority, the filling station stand (number 16636 Nkulumane), with a reserve price US$25 000, was awarded to Genstorm Supplies Private Limited, which is owned by Mr Amkela Nyoni.
Another stand that was awarded in 2022 and has seen no development work taking place is a Romney Park Creche Site, which went for a reserve bid price of US$14 300 and was awarded to Similo Siziba.
Responding to written questions, the local authority’s corporate communications manager, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu while confirming that indeed some of the developers were yet to begin work, claimed the majority of the commercial bays had completed development work.
She revealed that according to their policies, developers were given five years to complete development.
“While we have not specifically conducted an exercise to verify the state of development in respect to all sites that were awarded in 2022, quite a number of them have been developed. Commercial bays in Emganwini, Nketa 7, Entumbane, Lobengula West, Old Pumula are examples of completed developments.
“However, it is correct to say some are still not yet developed and such is expected. In terms of our policies, the developers are given 60 months to complete development. Since the agreements were signed in 2022, it means there are still about 20 months left to comply,” she said.
The council spokesperson revealed they were targeting properties that were allocated prior to 2022 and are non-compliant with terms and conditions of sale. She said these are subject to repossession subject to observance of due processes.
On delays in the adjudication of the December 2024 tender, Mrs Mpofu claimed it was an issue of resources. This is despite interested bidders having been made to pay US$34,50 to purchase the tender form.
“The adjudication process delayed to commence due to a shortage of some resources, which were crucial in the process. In terms of our procedures, dedicated resources are required; for example, data captured is done in specified conditions with the requisite resources, which took time to get.
However, the adjudication has been completed at management level and is now at the Council level. It is anticipated that the process will be completed during the first week of December 2025,” said Mrs Mpofu.
On failures to avail investment tenders, having flighted two major tenders in the past five years, Mrs Mpofu once again played the resources tag.
“In terms of our planning, the ideal situation is doing tenders twice a year. However, in practice, it is not attainable because of resource constraints. Furthermore, the delays in concluding the running tenders make it not tenable to begin a new process before concluding the running one.
“The officers doing tender adjudications are the same officers assigned to other duties, such as managing the allocated stands, hence they have to conclude the sales by preparing relevant agreements of sale and collecting monies due,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu revealed that, according to council policies that guide the land alienation processes for investment purposes, if land is available for investment purposes, it is advertised in the local Press, calling for tenders from interested individuals and organisations to participate in the economic development of the city.
“Alternatively, the available investment opportunities are put in a prospectus detailing the opportunities on offer. The interested parties can then respond to the prospectus. The prospectus is also advertised in the local newspapers and the city’s website.
“Once the applications have been received they follow the formal processes of technical evaluations, Council approval and where necessary Cabinet approval,” said the council spokesperson.
Developers and investors interviewed took a swipe at the local authority, accusing it of marshalling the lack of development in the city.
They revealed that most of them would either write to the city’s economic development office or the town planning department and in all cases they are adviced to wait for the local authority to first advertise tenders which are open for investment.
Mr Tapiwa Nyazika, a property developer said it was questionable that majority of the tenders that were awarded were at 100 percent failure rate, which he said suggests that the people who access that land through tenders do not have the capacity at all and just use the system to hoard land.
“When you look at these tenders, they do not seem to be in line with the size of the economy that you would expect Bulawayo to have. Look at the last two tenders that were flighted by the local authority, they had vending stalls, small shops, grinding mills and not huge business opportunities you would expect in Bulawayo, the second largest city in the country.
“Even the tender adjudication process needs a lot to reckon with; it takes a long time to be concluded and when the tenders are eventually awarded, the winners literally abandon the land, taking too long to develop them, but these people would have given proof of funds and expertise,” said Mr Nyazika.
“As the business community, we are frustrated, we approach council for land for flats for example in line with Vision 2030 but there seems to be nothing on the part of council, they tell us to wait for the tender advertisement, which will not even come out. The truth which BCC is not aware of, is that we are being lured by smaller towns that want development and we are going there, which is why the city is lagging behind in terms of development,” he added.
Another businessman, who requested anonymity revealed that he knew several potential investors who either had given up in investing in Bulawayo or were now being lured to invest in smaller towns that were willing to work with them.
“I know a businessman who wanted to operate a recreational facility in the city, he was taken from office to office until he just gave up and he has since relocated to Harare, someone who wanted to invest in his mother city.
“There is also a group that wants to open a sports academy in the city; they have been frustrated by the town planning department to the extent that they want to take this academy elsewhere. We are honestly going nowhere as a city if these people continue on this trajectory. Someone has to ask the town planning department what they have achieved since they were established as a standalone department,” said the business person.
