BULAWAYO – The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) on Thursday called on councillors to cancel the US$2.2 million parking tender it awarded to a South African company without public consultations.
Tendy Three International (TTI) was awarded the contract to implement and manage a parking system over a six-year period in a build, operate and transfer arrangement.
Bulawayo businesses and residents have complained the parking charges are too exorbitant, with the company already having been forced to reduce parking charges from $2 to $1 per hour.
Residents pay an average US$9 for parking in the city between 8AM and 5PM.
“Bulawayo has become the most expensive city when it comes to city parking,” BPRA secretary for administration Thembelani Dube told a news conference on Thursday.
“These parking charges are a death knell for many small businesses. Abandoned parking bays and deserted streets tell a story. Unfortunately, the only language that Tendy Three Investments understands is profit.
“Tendy Three and Terracotta Trading (Egodini Mall project owners) are classic cases of the failure of private contracting and policy blindness. There is no mechanism or platform in place for public interface by Tendy Three. There is also no PR and no facilities to deal with disputes.
“The relationship between residents and Tendy Three is highly impersonal and the company cannot even read the body language of ratepayers who have largely boycotted the metered parking spaces.
“There was no consultation done with residents, as BPRA we were just invited and asked to fill in registers and told that Tendy Three had won the tender.”
Dube said it was difficult for residents to get into the city using their vehicles. Anger is also widespread over the rigidity of the parking system which means the US$1 is only valid in a specific parking bay, such that if a vehicle stops at three locations within 30 minutes that driver would pay US$3.
“We actually doubt BCC and Tendy Three will get the income they actually want from the project. Tendy Three may not even get back the money that they actually spent on this vanity project,” said Dube.
He said small businesses are suffering the most from the parking deal, although fast-food giants Innscor have led the chorus of condemnation.
“The policy is self-serving and was thoughtlessly implemented as a money-making venture. The new parking fees for Bulawayo are almost at par with what motorists pay in New York City where the standards of living are better off,” said DUBE.
“Many business owners believe that a significant portion of their patronage arrives by car, and thus high parking rates will force customers to shop elsewhere.”
Dube said most of the businesses affected pay rent to THE council and the cost will be passed to the consumer.
He said BPRA is also deeply concerned by the lack of transparency and accountability over funds collected through the project from both parking and clamping.
“Tendy Three should handover the parking project back to BCC and head back to South Africa while parking fees should be reduced to $1 a day,” Dube said.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, during a trip to Bulawayo, was critical of the parking system – although it went all the way up to Cabinet where it was approved.
Tendy Three wants to manage 7,200 parking bays in the city and made projections of between US$1.1 and US$1.8 million. It said 450 people will be employed.
The City of Bulawayo gets 30 percent of revenue, while Tendy Three retains 70 percent.
