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Nqobile Bhebhe – [email protected]

THE redevelopment of Bulawayo’s oldest suburb, Makokoba, into a modern high-rise residential area could be off the rails after Bulawayo City Council cancelled a tender that sought to engage a consultancy to develop a Makokoba Local Subject Plan, a document that was expected to guide the process.

In April, the Government Gazette carried a notice from the local authority on the Expression of Interest for Consultancy Services for the Preparation of the Makokoba Local Subject Plan.

A compulsory tender briefing was set for 25 April at the Municipal Offices. The bidding process was expected to run from Monday, 17 April, and close on 19 May, at 1000am.

However, in a notice at the weekend, Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, said the tender had been cancelled.

“City of Bulawayo would like to advise all prospective bidders of the cancellations of the following tenders advertised on Government Gazette of the 14th April, 2023 and Sunday News of 16 April and closing on 19 May, 2023 for the Expression of Interest for Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Makokoba Local Subject Plan,” said Mr Dube.

In 2019, the local authority opened up tenders for contractors to come on board with plans on how they could redevelop the area as part of urban renewal efforts that the Government is pushing for.

The suburb has over the past experienced constant sewer pipe bursts, which result in effluent flowing in front of homes exposing residents to water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

The LSP was to guide the redevelopment project to ensure that it is done in a coordinated and well-planned manner. Once the LSP has been done and completed, modalities will then be put in place for the actual redevelopment process to take place, the council has previously said.

The cancellation comes at a time when the Government is working on embracing the smart city concept as a prerequisite for leaving no one behind, as part of President Mnangagwa’s thrust of improving people’s livelihoods.

A smart city is one that uses information communication technologies to improve operational efficiency, share information with the public, and provides better quality services and citizen welfare.

Meanwhile, a tender for consultancy services for the Redevelopment of Renkini Bus Terminus feasibility study was gazetted in April. Renkini has a thriving ecosystem that needs proper infrastructure for traders to operate from.

The terminus, which mainly caters for buses traveling to rural areas, has over the years been deteriorating. Some players in the private sector, notably banks, have in the past offered to partner the local authority to revamp the bus terminus.

According to a recent council report, councillors are of the view that the implementation of the redevelopment programme should not be delayed.

Already, the municipality’s town lands committee has visited Gweru for a “look and learn” at the Kudzanai Bus Terminus to get an appreciation of the rehabilitation project done at a cost of US$1,6 million.

Bulawayo councillors acknowledged that the bus terminus was redeveloped at a fast pace. Gweru council partnered the Government and a private sector organisation, Bentach Resources, to upgrade the terminus in Midlands Province’s capital city.