Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) has called on the City of Bulawayo (BCC) to significantly improve transparency and public accountability in the management of its parking concession with Tendy Three Investments (TTI), arguing that residents and businesses deserve greater visibility on how parking revenues are collected and utilised.
In its latest Ease of Doing Business and Policy Alignment Report, the chamber recommends that council publish a comprehensive annual Parking Concession Report detailing revenue collections, remittances received, contractual performance and enforcement activities.
“Council should publish an annual Parking Concession Report covering gross revenue collected, remittances received, TTI’s contractual performance, enforcement statistics (including clamps applied, disputed, and reversed), and employment numbers, tabled before full Council and made available on the Council website and in print,” reads the report.
The business lobby group says such disclosures would allow residents and businesses to assess whether the concession is delivering value while strengthening public confidence in the system.
ZNCC also wants greater transparency around how council spends its share of parking revenue.
“The Council’s 30 percent share should be tracked through a dedicated vote or ring-fenced account, with disclosures reconciling receipts to specific, named works (roads rehabilitated, parking bays repaired, surveillance infrastructure maintained), so that residents can see what the money built,” the report added.
The chamber noted that stakeholders remain concerned about whether revenues generated through the parking system are translating into visible improvements in urban infrastructure.
“Where the inception commitment that revenues would fund road repair has not been met, the Council should say so and explain,” it said.
The report further recommends stronger stakeholder participation ahead of the concession’s expiry in 2027.
ZNCC proposes the establishment of a standing annual stakeholder indaba bringing together council, residents’ associations, businesses and TTI to review the parking system and discuss future policy direction.
The chamber also called for “participation of residents’ associations and the ZNCC in the review of the concession ahead of its 2027 expiry or any extension” as well as the publication of complaints statistics generated under TTI’s complaints procedure.
According to the report, increased transparency, citizen engagement and regular public reporting are critical to ensuring that the parking system supports economic activity while maintaining public trust.
