THE $60 million upgrade of the Basch Street Terminus, popularly known as Egodini, is on course and the contractor is waiting for the approval of architectural plans to begin the work, Bulawayo mayor Martin Moyo has said.
BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
In 2015, the BCC awarded South African civil engineering firm, Terracotta, the contract to develop a transport hub and shopping mall at Egodini.
Moyo told NewsDay in an interview that the project was still on course despite the delays.
“The Egodini project is not ours. There is a contractor that must do the work at Egodini using their own funds, but there is progress in that preparatory work has already been done. On our part, we have cleared the properties around Egodini,” he said.
“They are only waiting and we have negotiated compensation for those that have title to their properties. Cadastral and tech-surveys have been done, now they
are working on the actual plans, the actual architectural plans which the contractor will take on site and start digging based on them.”
“That is what they are working on and once those plans are approved, they have submitted some to us and I’m sure that our planning department has reviewed them and sent them back with probably further suggestions and recommendations for perfecting the plans. Once they come a second time for final approval, then the work can begin at Egodini.”
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After the signing of the agreement in 2016, squabbles over the project began and were stalling its implementation.
Zanu PF officials, including Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister Eunice Sandi-Moyo, condemned the project, saying there had been lack of transparency in the awarding of the contract.
But Moyo denied that there was corruption involved in the project.
The project is on a build, operate and transfer basis and will come at no cost to the council, officials say.
Bulawayo will ultimately own it, once Terracorta has recouped its investment.
The refurbishment will see the terminus handling at least three million travellers each month, according to the BCC.
As part of the redesign of the terminus area, BCC would expand existing roads into the site and create dedicated pedestrian routes to increase traffic access.
The site will include a transport hub located on the Basch Street ground level, retail sections and visitor parking bays.
