Council under pressure to cancel Egodini Mall contract

BULAWAYO residents and councillors have called for the termination of Egodini Mall contract awarded to South African developer Terracotta (Private) Limited after the contractor failed to build the mall five years after clinching the contract.

Bulawayo City Council contracted Terracotta in 2016, with the developer proposing to invest US$60 million in the project.

In October 2018, the company closed Egodini terminus as construction work was purportedly starting, but no significant progress has taken place almost two years after the eviction of commuter omnibuses and vendors from the site.

A report on the town lands and planning committee meeting held recently states that phase 1 of the Egodini redevelopment project was supposed to be completed by March 2020.

After phase 1 completion, public transport operators, vendors and food chain stores were supposed to move in.

“Residents had started showing concerns since the project had failed to take off in time. When it finally took off, there were a lot of excuses regarding the slow progress,” the report read.

Due to the delays, the minutes state, a proposal was made that the contract between council and Terracotta (Pvt) Ltd be cancelled.

Recent council minutes state that councillor Donaldson Mabutho, Aldermen Ernest Rafomoyo and Norman Hlabani supported the proposal to terminate the contract.

“Terracotta (Pvt) Ltd had proposed to invest US$60 million in 2016. A lot of promises had been made regarding the project, but up to now the company has not completed the first phase,” council minutes read.

Councillors Mzamo Dube and Sikhululekile Moyo bemoaned the disorder in the city which they attributed to displacement of kombis and vendors.

“Councillor Lilian Mlilo said residents were affected by incomplete works at Egodini. Another tender should be advertised for the Egodini redevelopment,” the minutes read.

However, the minutes stated that Terracotta had invested a significant amount of money in the project and cancellation would negatively affect council and the contractor.

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association official Thembelani Dube said residents were not happy with progress at the mall.

“The mall is expected to create employment for the locals who are roaming the streets. The residents now think the tender was awarded under dubious circumstances, hence those who awarded the tender have their hands tied to effectively monitor and evaluate the progress by the winners of the tender and if need be terminate the contract,” Dube said.

“As the residents of Bulawayo we urge the local authority to set targets, indicators and timelines for the construction of the mall. Failure to meet those, the contract must be cancelled and the tender re-advertised.”

Terracotta official Thulani Moyo yesterday said the firm was waiting for the greenlight from city council to start construction work.

“They have not informed us anything. We have seen articles in newspapers and we have told them that we are concerned about the reports,” Moyo said.

“We have done all what we were expected and supposed to do within that time frame. In the contract, we have things that we are expected to do only after being given permission by the council. For us to proceed to construction, it is the council that is supposed to give us construction permit to proceed and that has not yet happened.”