Egodini project a 'headache', says BCC

The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says it is considering its options after Terracotta Trading (Pvt) Limited, the company awarded the contract to redevelop the former Egodini bus terminus, failed to meet yet another deadline to resume construction.

The South African developer was awarded the tender in 2015 to transform the site into a modern shopping mall and regional public transport hub. However, more than a decade later, only a portion of the project has been completed and opened to the public.

Speaking during a media engagement at the Council Chambers on Wednesday, Acting Town Clerk Mrs Sikhangele Zhou said the developer had failed to honour its commitment to restart construction by July 1, 2026.

"Egodini project continues to be a headache to us. For starters, they are out of time, and they changed their shareholding structure. They had promised that the changes would strengthen them so that they would be able to resume work," she said.

"They were set to resume works on the first of July according to what they had promised us but they have failed to do so. We have put them on terms, that is, to ask them to explain themselves so that we may consider our options going forward, if it still fails."

Mrs Zhou said the council had initially been encouraged by the company's restructuring, believing it would inject fresh capacity into the long-delayed development.

"The city had thought that there was hope with the restructuring of Terracotta. We thought we could give the new structure a chance to complete the project but we were disappointed when they didn't return," she said.

She said the local authority is now awaiting the company's response before deciding on the next course of action.

The Egodini redevelopment project has long been viewed as a key urban renewal initiative aimed at modernising Bulawayo's central business district and improving public transport infrastructure.

However, repeated delays have attracted criticism from residents and transport operators, with stakeholders arguing that the project's failure to reach completion has contributed to growing transport disorder in the city centre.

Illegal commuter omnibus pick-up points have proliferated as many operators continue to avoid using the partially completed transport terminus, creating congestion and undermining efforts to restore order to Bulawayo's public transport system.

The council has not indicated what action it may take if Terracotta fails to provide a satisfactory explanation or resume work, but Mrs Zhou said the local authority was closely monitoring the situation before making its next decision.