BCC clarifies Egodini vending bays allocation

THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) will use the list of informal traders that were displaced when Egodini Bus Terminus was closed, for consideration once the contractor hands over a section of the facility in April.

The South Africa-based developer, Terracotta Trading Limited, a couple of weeks ago, revealed that the multi-million dollar project is now back on course with the taxi rank and vending stalls, which make up phase 1A of the project are expected to be completed and handed over to the local authority by April.

Phase 1A of the project will include the construction of 1 100 informal traders' stalls, a 100-bay taxi rank, security wall, security tower, motor retail, taxi associations offices, public ablutions and a service lane.

In a statement, Bulawayo Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube said there was a Egodini relocation agreement that was in place between the local authority and the informal traders that were temporarily relocated.

"The correct position is that there is an Egodini relocation agreement between council and the informal traders who were displaced to pave way for the project.

The informal traders that were displaced are the ones who will be allocated trading spaces in the Egodini taxi rank.

Council has the list of the displaced informal traders in its database and will communicate with same when the site is ready for occupation," said Mr Dube.

He dismissed as false social media reports that the local authority was receiving applications for the vending space at the taxi rank.

"The City of Bulawayo would like to advise stakeholders, residents and members of the public that messages circulating on WhatsApp and other social media purporting that the local authority is now receiving applications for informal traders to be housed at Egodini taxi rank are not true.

We urge residents, stakeholders and members of the public to disregard these messages.

Stakeholders are advised that council is not holding such an exercise as falsely depicted on the social media and any other statement being attributed to the local authority is totally false and should be ignored," said Mr Dube.

He said the local authority has relevant platforms and standard of sharing information to members of the public hence the circulating message is therefore, "factually and materially incorrect."

According to the new timelines set by the developer, the taxi rank roads are set to be completed by 25 March, taxi rank islands; 8 April, taxi rank steelworks; 22 April and the informal traders stalls are expected to have been completed by 29 April.