Two days after the opening of the upgraded Egodini Terminus in Bulawayo, traders and passengers are yet to move into the facility amid revelations that vendors want to reduce the proposed $90 monthly fee charged by the contractor.
Although some omnibus operators moved to the new-look taxi stand on Monday, only a few were parked there yesterday with no passengers on site while the vending booths were still empty.
The official opening of the first phase of the multi-million dollar project is expected to take place on Friday, and will go a long way in relieving congestion in the city centre, authorities said.
Vendors and general carriers were relocated from Igodini in 2016 after Terracotta Private Limited from South Africa won the tender to upgrade the facility.
In an interview, Bulawayo Emerging Traders Association (BUPTA) President, Mr Vincent Donga, said the main reason for the discord among their members revolved around the “exorbitant fees” being charged and operating conditions which, once breached, could result in the loss of their members. Installations.
“We have not yet reached an agreement with the contractor regarding the issue of fees, and we believe they are too harsh for us,” he said.
“Before someone moves in, they are required to pay the contractor $90 per month, a one-time $20 is said to be an administrative fee, and another $23 to the city council as a licensing fee, which comes to a total of $20.” “$133,” Mr. Dunga said.
If a person fails to pay the $90 monthly fee by the first of each month, a $5 fine will be imposed, he said.
“We feel that the monthly fees and conditions are harsh and should be reviewed to acceptable levels. It is not easy to make the money they are asking for due to the proliferation of illegal vendors in the city centre,” Mr Dunga said.
Tshuva Mubaiwa Marketing Director, Mr Ndaba Mabunda, said calls for people to move to Igodini were hampered by the continued use of illegal assembly points in the town centre, especially by unregistered kombis. “Campaigns are slow and more influenced by the freelancing of unregistered Kombis groups, and the police and city council must take action on this,” Mr Mabunda said.
Bulawayo Mayoral Councilor David Coltart said there were “initial issues” associated with making full use of the new facility and therefore some players had not yet moved in. “So, now it is just an experiment, and we have to be patient because this will take some time for the sellers to settle in there,” he said.
“Once the vendors get there, customers will come to buy what is being sold and also take taxis to their homes.
“It’s early days and there will inevitably be problems at the start, so we have to be patient for the full opening because Igodini is not officially open yet,” Cllr Coltart said.
He said once the facility is officially opened, the public can then expect vendors and passengers to fully relocate to the site.
Cllr Coltart said: “Even when phase one opens, we still need to open phase 1b, which will increase numbers, so it could take seven months to get it running completely smoothly.”
Once completed, the multi-million dollar construction project will feature a modern shopping mall among other commercial infrastructure.
The project began in 2016 and has been partially completed with only the first phase opening on Monday as part of the process of accommodating the initial group of 400 informal traders and transport operators who mainly use the western suburbs routes.
The contractor missed opening deadlines several times, and in November last year, Terracotta hired another South African company, McCormick Property Development, to redesign the vendor spaces to ensure the Egodini vendor market was fully roofed to provide protection for vendors and their customers. And their goods. Chronicle
