Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube | Zim GBC News
BULAWAYO – The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has clarified that revenue generated from its parking management partnership with Tendy Three Investments (TTI) is legally restricted and can only be used for road rehabilitation within the specific area the company operates.
This means the funds cannot be used to fix potholes or improve infrastructure in the city’s suburbs, but are confined to the central business district area bounded by 3rd Avenue to 15th Avenue and Lobengula Street to Samuel Parirenyatwa Street.
The partnership, a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) agreement established in February 2022, sees TTI retaining 70% of the parking revenue, with the council receiving 30%.
Explaining the legal constraints, Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor David Coltart, said,
“In terms of the agreement council has with TTI, we can only utilise those funds in the areas where TTI operates. We can’t take those funds and, for example, use them in Luveve where TTI doesn’t operate.”
The council’s Director of Finance, Mr. Tennyson Mpunzi, detailed how the allocated funds have been used.
“We have been able to resuscitate or re-work the parking bays that motorists use in the city every day… The other portion of the money was used for pothole patching in the city centre.”
He added that the revenue also helps council manage cash flow, stating,
“When Zinara disburses funds, council does not immediately receive that money… This is where some of TTI money comes in. We take part of that money to pay suppliers to avoid incurring interests.”
According to figures presented during the city’s recent budget consultation, the council received US$558,336, R140,398, Pula 8,107, and ZiG5,267,286 from parking operations between January and August this year. To date, 6,978 parking bays have been marked under the scheme.
A Look at the 2026 Budget Proposal
Meanwhile, the council has unveiled a US$224 million budget proposal for 2026, with water and sanitation taking the largest share at 31% (US$70.2 million).
Acting Finance Committee Chairperson, Councillor Dumisani Nkomo, outlined the key allocations:
· Governance and Administration: US$60.5 million
· Social Services: US$50.7 million
· Public Safety and Security: US$21.5 million
· Roads: US$18.9 million
In line with its “smart city” vision, the council has also proposed setting aside US$7.9 million for computer hardware and a further US$1.9 million to improve network connectivity across the city.
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