Mayor defends Egodini Mall contractor

BULAWAYO mayor Solomon Mguni has leaped to the defence of South African firm, Terracotta Private Limited, contracted to develop the Egodini Mall into an international transport hub.

His remarks came after residents and councillors called for termination of the contract due to delays in the project.

Council awarded the US$60 million tender Terracotta in 2016.

In October 2018, the company closed the Egodini terminus to start construction work, but almost two years after the eviction of commuter omnibuses and vendors no significant progress has been made on the site, prompting residents and councillors to call for the cancellation of the contract and the re-flighting of the tender.

However, Mguni yesterday said the Egodini Mall project was still up and running and the contractor was expected to continue with the works.

“As a local government, we have a responsibility to honour contractual obligations (and) so are the contractors. Of course, there has been lots of impatience here and there. Lots of deliberations and suggestions to terminate the relationship and the contract thereof have been made,” Mguni said.

“It is always prudent to protect investors and at the same time protect the people of Bulawayo as represented by the council. We hope that very soon all the parties involved will meet their sides of the bargain so that the project may come to fruition.”

Latest council minutes indicate that Terracotta was expected to complete Egodini Mall’s phase one by March 2020 to accommodate public transport operators, vendors and food chain stores.

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association official Thembelani Dube said they suspect the tender was awarded under dubious circumstances.

Terracotta official Thulani Moyo said his firm was waiting for council to issue it with a construction work permit, adding that all they had done so far was based on the initial permit.