City Parking spends $4,8m on infrastructure
HARARE City Council’s parking unit, City Parking (Pvt) Ltd, has invested $4,8 million into the city’s parking infrastructure, while declaring a dividend of $1,8 million to council.
Council was paid a total of $1 804 000 of which $1 530 000 was cash, while the remainder is in the form of settlement with its former partner in the parking business, Easihold (Pvt) Ltd of South Africa.
According to the recent minutes of the city’s Business Committee, a report dated May 28, 2018 was circulated by Acting Town Clerk Engineer Zvenyika Chawatama giving information on City Parking (Pvt) Ltd’s financial contribution to council infrastructure.
The Acting Town Clerk advised that City Parking had invested a total of $4 819 000 into parking infrastructure.
Eng Chawatama told councillors that City Parking paid $270 000 for the parkade and parking lot automated system, $3 700 000 on street parking and $125 000 for parkades upgrading and repairs to extension joints and gutters.
City Parking also used $212 000 for parkade elevators, $112 000 for painting of on-street parking bays and $400 000 on the Mbare Musika bus entry system.
He further reported that the commissioning of the newly installed elevators at Julius Nyerere and Samora Machel parkades was done on May 22 this year.
“The company had projected to develop the following infrastructure — paving of parking bays, road markings and installation of additional 3 000 parking bay sensors,” read the minutes.
“The committee noted the work done by City Parking (Pvt) (Ltd) and applauded them for a job well done. The committee also noted that City Parking had been named as one of the best run companies in 2018.”
Council resolved to note City Parking’s financial contribution to council parking infrastructure to date.
Recently, Harare Mayor Councillor Bernard Manyenyeni downplayed residents’ concerns over the use of parking revenue, saying the expectations by the residents were exaggerated.
“Parking bays are supposed to be 6 000, the State has taken 1 200 for crucial use,” he said.
“Allow me to say the figures around parking revenue continue to excite residents and continue to invite questions.
“They are excited about what they consider to be heavy parking fees and where that money goes to.
“We have a duty to answer that, the first thing to indicate is that our parking revenue have gone up from under $20 000 a day to $25 000 a day.”
Clr Manyenyeni said the figure would roughly add up to about half a million a month, adding that the figures should be known to everyone who was interested in the City Parking revenue.