AAG, BCC clash over vehicle parking tender

THE Affirmative Action Group (AAG) has taken the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to task for failing to authorise a vehicle parking management tender deal, resulting in potential revenue losses.

AAG in a statement said the financial challenges faced by council could be eased if it regularised a parking tender deal which was awarded to a local private company in 2019.

The parking tender caused divisions among city fathers, a development that saw government probing the tender process.

“Nothing has been seen on the ground to show any development.

“This is revenue loss to the council yet there is nothing on the side of management to show the urgency to push implementation of the deal,” the AAG statement read.

“There is always urgency (by council) in pushing up rates and charges to residents. Who is really benefiting from these tenders?

“It must be remembered that this same parking tender was delayed for years in the courts after a legal battle with a company that had links with one of the directors.”

Bulawayo town clerk Christopher Dube yesterday said the local authority was still awaiting clearance from the Zimbabwe Development Agency (ZDA) before authorising the vehicle parking management deal.

“It was sent back to ZDA for further adjudication and clearance, otherwise before that we can’t do anything.

“Normally, clearance has to be sought from a council oversight committee but then this one needs clearance from ZDA,” Dube said.

Reports show that one of the companies linked to the parking management system, Harare City Council’s Easypark made an unsolicited bid for the parking management tender.

However, questions were raised over engaging Easypark after reports emerged that the company pampered some Bulawayo councillors by booking them into a five-star hotel and provided them with goodies to influence the awarding process.

The parking management services tender in Bulawayo was cancelled in 2012 by council despite having been granted to Megalithic Marketing (Private) Limited.

In cancelling the tender then, council cited a “shambolic tendering” process.

This resulted in a long court battle with the company as it contested the cancellation.

In April 2019, BCC shortlisted Ducretion Logistics (Private) Limited and Lauvax Trading (Private) Limited trading as Propark to manage the city’s parking system, but the deal is yet to be finalised.