The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council has said vendors that were allocated bays at Basch Street Bus Terminus, popularly known as Egodini, before works began on the proposed mega mall will get first preference in the allocation of vending bays.
Council last month resolved to open up eGodini to informal traders and transporters as construction work progresses.
Terracotta Trading Private Limited (TTPL) won a tender for the project in 2015, but the developer suffered several construction false starts and missed completion deadlines, with a phased reopening now on the cards.
According to council, the relocation of vendors is set to begin sometime between mid and late February.
The proposed plans to redevelop Egodini into a multi-million mall and regional transport hub resulted in the displacement of vendors and transporters who were operating at the bus terminus.
In a notice on Tuesday, Bulawayo City Council Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, said vendors that had been relocated from the old eGodini will get first preference as part of council’s relocation strategy.
“The City of Bulawayo would like to advise members of the public that the eGodini relocation strategy is premised on the agreement reached with the informal traders who were trading at eGodini before its redevelopment.
The city agreed with the traders that those who were trading at eGodini and at the 6th Avenue site will be given first preference in the allocation of vending bays once the redevelopment is complete.
“To then accommodate the traders that were trading inside eGodini during the construction period, new sites were established at Site ZESA, (12′ Avenue between Lobengula Street and H Chitepo Street), and Site 5 Avenue, (between Lobengula Street and Herbert Chitepo).
“In view of the foregoing, the informal traders currently trading at Site 6” Avenue, Site 5 Avenue and Site ZESA will be given first preference in the allocation of the vending bays at eGodini. Furthermore, Council will forward the names of these traders to Terracotta Pvt Ltd for consideration,” the notice read.
Mr Dube said the public should be cautious of individuals or organisations that were seemingly running a parallel process for the registration of vendors.
“Furthermore, Council will forward the names of these traders to Terracotta Pvt Ltd for consideration. Thereafter, those informal traders who are registered at Council Dugmore Offices shall be given second preference on the remaining vending bays at eGodini.
“Members of the public are advised that there is no on-going registration exercise for the allocation of eGodini vending bays outside the current system of registering at the City of Dugmore Vending Offices (former Dugmore Clinic) along Basch Street and 6th Avenue. Any individuals or groups who are purporting to be registering informal traders for the eGodini Mall informal trading site are not working with the City of Bulawayo.”
