The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) earned over US$800,000 in parking fees in the 2023 financial year.
The city’s vehicle parking management system is managed by Tendy Three Investments (TTI) under a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) framework. TTI designed, installed, and maintains the parking system using its resources (US$2.2 million) for an initial six-year period with the option of an extension of up to four years.
The new system was implemented in February 2022.
While presenting the 2024 budget, the Chairperson of the Finance and Development Committee, Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, revealed that as of 30 September 2023, the council had received US$698,000, R478,000, and Z$765 million in income from the parking system.
“These funds have been applied to parking projects to improve parking, with over 5,200 bays having been marked to date,” he said. “Council stands guided by the Urban Councils Acts (chapter 29:15) sections 189 to 190 on this project.”
The parking system has set the council on a collision course with various stakeholders in the city who have lobbied for a reduction in parking fees, while some have called for it to be scrapped altogether. However, the local authority has been adamant that the arrangement is here to stay.
