The tender has already been condemned by Harare Provincial
Development Coordinator (PDC) Mr Tafadzwa Muguti and Harare Mayor Councillor
Jacob Mafume, suggesting it is some sort of backdoor deal.
The council tender delayed the reopening of the bus
terminus despite completion of the work to the standards agreed between the
council and the donors and it is assumed the delay was meant to allow the
company in question to do some work and justify the tender awarded to it.
Mr Muguti yesterday rubbished the latest deal and ordered
the immediate re-opening of the bus terminus while he examines the contracts to
see how such a tender could be awarded and by whom.
And Mayor Mafume yesterday said that any such tender was
illegal.
“That will be an unprocedural tender and we as council, are
not privy to it. What I know is we have an agreement with the transport
operators for the Mbare terminus works and anything outside that is illegal,”
he said before he was arrested on corruption charges.
It is understood that the tender was awarded to a company
owned by a person only identified as Zhakata, who has no track record of
reputable construction works and is suspected of being the same person awarded
a 23-year lease for personal use of Harava Dam at the expense of the residents.
The Zimbabwe Passenger Transport Organisation (ZPTO) in the
middle of this year offered to assist the city council through fencing and
refurbishing the biggest bus terminus in the country, a donation worth more
than US$85 000, so they could resume services as the lockdown eased in a safe
and secure environment.
True to the organisation’s word, palisade fence was erected
at the terminus and two boreholes were drilled to ensure there is running water
to wash hands in line with public health requirements.
A storeroom for chemicals and sanitisers was built and
facilities for sanitisation of people and fumigation of buses were put in place
in line with Government’s fight against Covid-19.
However, The Herald has learnt that a local company was in
October awarded a tender to do the same work for a yet to be disclosed figure.
Mr Muguti said there was absolutely no grounds for a tender
for the same work already done by the transport operators.
“The bus operators are assisting in upgrading Mbare bus
terminus in line with a donation made in July this year.
“Fencing was done and a great deal of work was also done.
Recently I toured the rank together with the minister and I was directed to
re-open the terminus upon satisfaction that the work had been done.
“However, in October council issued a tender for palisade
fence and refurbishment of shades when the work had already been done.
Surprisingly, we hear that council’s department that received the donation, was
the one that awarded the tender to the company,” he said.
He added: “I have since requested copies of the tender
documents from the relevant council department.”
ZPTO chairman Mr Samson Nanhanga demanded the re-opening of
the terminus saying the upgrade had been done to the set standards.
“We worked with council specifications in upgrading the bus
terminus but we failed to understand why council was not re-opening the
terminus.
“Everything is now in place and we demand the re-opening of
the market with immediate effect,” he said.
According to Mr Muguti, the terminus must re-open as soon
as possible on condition that all the Covid-19 specifications are observed.
There must be social distancing and buses must be fumigated
when entering the terminus, he said adding that sanitisation must be done and all
the vagrants who were living in the shades must be evicted.
Touts and space barons, Mr Muguti said, have no place at
the newly refurbished bus terminus.
Mr Muguti, Cllr Jacob Mafume, council officials and bus
operators toured the terminus to assess the infrastructural development and
even saw a demonstration of how buses will be fumigated and how passengers will
be sanitised when boarding buses.
Touring the renovation works being done by ZPTO, Mr Muguti
said there should be massive control and a limited access of people getting
into the terminus.
He applauded ZPTO for doing a marvellous job in renovating
Mbare Musika and urged them to work closely with council and the police to make
sure that the place is well secured and maintained. Herald
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