Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
Natalie Sindile Nyathi
The snail pace at which Egodini Mall is being constructed is causing all the traffic chaos in Bulawayo’s Central Business District (CBD).
Many publications including this one have carried stories pertaining to the unfinished Mall.
Zim GBC News carried a video story showing the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) playing cat and mouse with pirate taxis.
The cat and mouse still persist.
The chasing after Mushikashikas by the traffic section of the ZRP at times becomes so dangerous to passengers, pedestrians and the police themselves.
As witnessed in the latest video story by this publication, Kombi drivers take off at very high speeds every time they encounter the ZRP. Most times they drive against traffic, they disregard the right of way, they disregard life.
In an interview with several of Kombi drivers dotted around the city, they all responded in a chorus.
“Bathi sithwalele ngaphi? Egodini lokhe lisakhiwa”.
“Hantsho banika umuntu wempumalanga itender leGodini, nanko uyehluleka ukuqeda”
“Asila ndawo yokuthwalela, sithwalele ngaphi, bafuna siyethwalela emsamo le, ngubani ozabuya khonale? “
Where do the authorities want us to ferry passengers from, isn’t Egodini is still under construction?
The tender to construct Egodini was given to a company from Harare, now they are failing to finish the job.
We don’t have a terminal point. Therefore where are we supposed to pick passengers from? They want us to pick up passengers from the outskirts of the city? Who will come there?
When asked for comment about such behavior by the Kombi drivers, the ZRP Provincial Press and Liaison Officer, Inspector Abdinico Ncube at the time said.
“It is the duty of the ZRP to carry out it’s mandate, the pirate kombis are committing a crime by soliciting passengers at 6th Avenue.”
Terracotta is a South African based firm which won the multi-million dollar tender for the reconstruction of Egodini Mall in 2016 but nothing seems to be happening.
In contrast, a similar company from South Africa was given the tender to construct Beitbridge Border post way after the Terracotta tender and progress of this project (border) is beyond measure while Egodini lacks by several years.
There has been political bickering, political interference, postponement after postponement of beginning or finishing the project. After failing to finish the first phase in 2019, Terracotta set another deadline for August 2020, up to date, there is nothing to show of the completed first phase.
This failure to meet the deadlines has caused the willy-nilly picking up of passengers by Mushikashikas in the CBD. This results in the ZRP and Commuter Omnibuses commonly referred to as AmaKombi playing cat and mouse as such behavior is considered a crime by the ZRP.
The police is saying, the Kombi drivers are not supposed to be at 6 Avenue, L. Takawira Ave and Hebert Chitepo Street, Fort Street and 10th Avenue, Fort Street and 8th Avenue, they are not supposed to be outside TM Hyper Supermarket along 10th Avenue.
The director of Terracotta, Thulani Mayo has given so many excuses such as dealing with underground installation of pipes, Covid-19 lockdowns and shortage of resources.
Again in contrast, the constructor at the Beitbridge border post worked, observing Covid-19 protocols, during knockdowns.
Thulani Mayo was quoted by Construction View Online as saying,
“The project was delayed by the lock-down period otherwise the project should have been completed around mid April this year”.
If the South African based firm had kept their word about completing the project this year, then all this chaos caused by the Kombi drivers in the CBD would be avoided.
At L. Takawira Avenue and 6th Avenue along H. Chitepo Street, the place is not passable at any given time as there is always commotion and congestion with the Kombi operators just parking in the middle of the road, blocking the flow of traffic, in total disregard of other drivers.
One motorist on being interviewed said,
“At one time my car was trapped for at least 45 minutes as the Kombi drivers simply did not move their vehicles despite the several honking and protest, they just simply ignored me”.
Terracotta has taken a very long time to finish Egodini and this is affecting the public and business people alike.
This failure to complete the mall has led to traffic congestion problems in the CBD of which had Egodini been completed the CBD should be clear of Kombis but instead it is flooded.
Thulani Moyo did not respond to questions left on his WhatsApp number despite the App showing that he had read the message.
In the meantime, traffic congestion chaos continues to reign in the CBD of kwaNtuthu Ziyathunqa.