Bulawayo Council Orders,Kombis, Vendors To Vacate Basch Street Terminus (Egodini)

THE Bulawayo City Council has ordered commuter omnibus operators and vendors to vacate Basch Street Terminus by April 30 to pave way for the construction of the multi-million dollar Egodini Shopping Mall.

The $60 million project, set to create more than 1,000 jobs for city residents, is scheduled to start at the beginning of May.

The most affected are transport operators and hundreds of vendors who would have to be relocated to pave way for the construction of the upmarket mall.

Acting Town Clerk Sikhangele Zhou said the vendors and public transporters would be relocated after the contractor moves on site.

The local authority has indicated that during construction of the mall, commuter omnibuses would be stationed outside the Central Business District and would only come into the city centre to ferry passengers.

Kombis plying the city centre to Waterford, Burnside, Matopos and Newton West routes will use the Samuel Parirenyatwa terminus on Second Avenue, while their drop-off point will be the City Hall bays.

Those plying the route from the city centre to the National University of Science and Technology, Sunninghill, United Bulawayo Hospitals, Mahatshula, Parklands and Killarney will use the terminus at corner 6th Ave and Robert Mugabe Way, TM Hyper and the Samuel Parirenyatwa terminus with their drop-off point at the City Hall bays.

Transporters plying city centre to Woodville, Sauerstown, Queens Park East and West, Trenance, Harrisvale, Romney Park, Richmond and Barbourfields will use the terminus along Lobengula Street and 3rd Avenue.

Those plying the city centre to Cowdray Park, Luveve, Emakhandeni, Entumbane, Mpopoma and Njube routes will use the Khami Road terminus.

The Birkenhead terminus will be used by kombis plying the city centre to New Magwegwe, Magwegwe West, Magwegwe North and Pumula routes.

Kombis plying the city centre to Nkulumane 11 and 12, Nkulumane 10, Nkulumane 5, Nketa and Emganwini routes will use the Belmont terminus.

Vendors will also be relocated to bays that have already been constructed.

In a press briefing, the Director of Engineering Services, Simela Dube, said demolitions would start on April 30.

“The critical part is relocation of commuter omnibuses and vendors by 30th of April 2016. Handover of the site and ground breaking ceremony will be at the beginning of May 2016.”

He said the approval of plans would happen concurrently with the demolitions and handover of the site to Terracotta Trading Private Limited.

The project includes 250 modern informal trader stalls in the retail basement section and 500 informal trader stalls on the roof of the complex to create a flea market for retail traders.

The complex will also include a public transport and off-loading facility capable of handling 20 regional and cross border buses as well as 75 minibus taxis at the same time.

Council on February 6, 2013 resolved to award the Egodini redevelopment project to Terracotta (Pvt) Ltd and this was followed by a protracted negotiation on tenure, development conditions and compensation issues.

The final lease agreement was signed on November 5, 2015, and the official launch done on February 29 last month.

Dube said the implementation of the first phase of development, which includes the lower ground and public transport facilities, would be completed in six months.

Speaking at the handover ceremony last month, TTPL director John McCormick said the $60 million project would be undertaken in three phases and would create more than 1,000 jobs during the construction period.

He said TTPL is funding the project and will only hand over the mall to the BCC after it recoups its investment. by Auxilia Katongomara. source-bulawayo24