Staff Reporter
MARONDERA– Authorities at the Municipality of Marondera will partner a private player in the renovation of the twin hostels in Dombotombo to bring them back to functionality.
In an interview with Chaminuka, the council’s public relations officer Kudakwashe Tapfumaneyi said plans to repurpose the Rusike hostel that were sealed late last year are currently underway.
“As council, we recently completed the budgeting process for the hostel and our procurement plan was approved in this year’s budget considerations. Our aim is to make progress in repurposing the hostels to ensure that they become functional assets that benefit council, residents and ratepayers.
“Due to a shortage of funds, we are considering entering into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The specific nature and form of this partnership will depend on the bids submitted, with the entity presenting the best proposal and offering the greatest advantage to council being chosen,” Tapfumaneyi said.
He added that the selection process for this PPP will be guided by the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) and the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works which is under the purview of Daniel Garwe.
“The goal is to transform the hostels by the end of this budget year to address the social vices that are occurring there. However, it is also important to note that setting aside funds for a purpose is different from actually raising enough money to finance the project.
“This situation is made more challenging by the fact that council has multiple projects competing for attention, but the available funds are limited. That is why we are prioritizing seeking angel investors to help finance the repurposing,” the council’s public relations officer stated.
The Rusike hostel, also notoriously known as Gabulenda, has a holding capacity of 103 and was shut down on September 15 last year. Its twin hostel, Dombotombo, has a holding capacity of 111 and is currently managed by Index (Private) Limited.
Gabulenda was closed as it had become notorious for hosting commercial sex workers and robbers.
Council is on record stating that the running contract it entered into with Index (Pvt) Ltd) cannot be violated and will let it to lapse in order to avoid claims.
