By Rex Mphisa
THE Municipality of Beitbridge (MoB) contemplates hiring a temporary engineer to oversee the just started servicing of the new US$15 million central business district between Tshitaudze and Tshidixwa suburbs, south of the Government Flats currently under construction.
MoB may not have an engineer to match the one from Tiger Eye Construction, the company trusted with the massive project certain to permanently change the landscape of the border town.
Businessmen and locals heavily reliant on Musina, want shops similar those in other towns where crossing the border becomes optional.
A good looking modern mall is likely to attract big chain stores and put pressure on local traders to adjust pricing in Beitbridge believed second highest in the country giving way only to Victoria Falls Town.
MoB Works Committee chairperson Councillor Takavingei Mahachi in an interview Thursday did not deny or confirm their organisation seriously pondered on outsourcing but said a highly qualified civil engineer was among Tiger Eye’s team on the ground.
“Perhaps you have to wait for a full council sitting. From the papers we saw yes Tiger Eye has a civil engineer of note on their team. He is on the ground on our new project,” he said meandering from the topic.
Similarly Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola only said:”I am discussing with the director of Engineering (Douglas Siphuma), we spoke about the topic but there are no details currently,” he said.
But Ziyah News Network is reliably informed MoB is under pressure to match the US$300 Beitbridge Border Post upgrade which raised the bar aloft, if not too high.
Zimbabwe”s border post has been talk of the region and officials have since ignored rules that made it a “no camera” area to qualify as a tourist attraction.
MoB has two engineers at the moment with one serving suspension allegedly for installing Council pipes on one of the municipality’s sewer system crossing the Wamlala River from the border post.
Zimborders offered to and have footed the bill and replaced the pipes, according to paper trail seen by Ziyah News Network, in a collaboration encouraged by Government.
He is also accused of illegally connecting water and sewer systems at the Mabhidhi Ronnies Arena and Blue Villa Lodge, two projects which have council resolutions and are another example of collaboration by the MoB and businessmen.
The Ronnies’ Sports Arena job was in preparation for First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa’s National Cookout held at the venue where other stakeholders like the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company also extended services.
But MoB’s water supply was termed as “fraudulent” despite that celebrated Beitbridge leader Vice President Kembo Mohadi’s ruling party hosted a birthday for him at the watered venue.
MoB has had perennial engineering problems including failure to dispense water for its 60 000 residents.
Beitbridge couples that with roads not upgraded from those created by donkey carts hence MoB failure to rid Beitbridge of carts posing traffic hazards.
Of late unattended sewer bursts are the order of the day in Beitbridge following the suspension of the engineer most believe was a victim of his response to duty, something not akin to Beitbridge.
The other engineer identified only as Mpala, was frustrated off the organisation and has since settled abroad while the other was snapped up by Gweru Municipality, not to mention another forced out but taken by Chitungwiza Municipality and later Mutare City.
MoB sits between a hard rock and a stone in hiring the engineer to earn from ratepayers.