E500M MULTI-STOREY BUS RANK PROJECT SET TO RESUME

MBABANE –  The much awaited E500 million development of the Mbabane multi-storey Bus Rank seems like it will resume again after it was cancelled in May 2023.

The Municipal Council of Mbabane last week once again invited suitably qualified developers to submit proposal for development, operation and maintenance of Lot 3263 Mbabane township extension 1, current bus rank. This comes as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) opportunity for local contractors.

development

The Municipal Council of Mbabane stated that more details on the development were provided in the request for proposal (RFP) document, which can be purchased from the Municipal of Mbabane’s Civic offices for a non-refundable fee of E1 000 per copy. Developers will be selected if their technical proposal fully complies with the terms of reference and be financially viable. A non-compulsory briefing on the project was held on Friday at council offices. Proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope and deposited into the tender box located next to council’s revenue Offices not later than 12noon on Friday, November 3, 2023. Enquiries can be directed to the Public Private Partnership Office of the council, Thulanid@mbacity.org.sz and copy to chazilem@mbacity.org.sz. The development of the bus rank was first announced back in 2018 by the outgoing Municipal Council of Mbabane Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gideon Mhlongo, in a press conference around August 2018.

project

Mhlongo told the media that with the advent of the proposed project, traffic congestion would become a thing of the past at the bus rank. “Traffic congestion will become a thing of  the past and all our public transport operators will have better access to the bus rank and utilise the facility in a way that will be beneficial to the town and everybody,” said Mhlongo. Mhlongo said council intended to develop the bus rank into a multi-storey facility, that would accommodate and service fully the needs of all the public transportation. Mhlongo further publicly signed an agreement with JM Busha Investment Group, a South African company that was set to construct the new bus rank.

agreement

The agreement between the council and JM Busha, in connection with the construction of the bus rank was signed in 2018. At that time, the council spelt out that it would develop a four-storey building structure that was supposed to include retail space, additional parking facilities for the bus rank and an off-loading base. It was said it would also have space for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including vendors who are currently trading at the bus rank. However, in May 2023, Mhlongo once again revealed that the partnership with JM Busha was terminated due to poor performance on its obligations as spelt in its contract. Mhlongo added: “The failure to meet some of its contractual obligations resulted in delays of the entire project.” Mhlongo then announced that the council would issue another expression of interest from prospective developers, who would be interested in partnering with them for the development of the bus rank.

Indeed last week, the council an issued expression of interest from prospective developers. The development of the Mbabane Bus Rank is part of the many upcoming PPP opportunities for local contractors as the council is working on a number of projects. Speaking during the Construction Industry Council (CIC) in collaboration with Mbabane City Council, Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) and Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPC) workshop on compliance and Public Private Partnerships held at Happy Valley Hotel on July 18, Thulani Dlamini from the Municipal Council of Mbabane stated that another project would be the Civic Centre, which involved the building of Civic Offices at the Coronation Park and a multi-use facility at the current Civic Centre. He said a contract had already been signed and they were currently finalising drawings, tenants and funding.

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