THE long-delayed Egodini Redevelopment Project in Bulawayo could be inching towards revival after developer Terracotta Trading (Pvt) Ltd engaged a new investment partner linked to the development of the Zimbabwe Mall in Harare.
According to the latest Bulawayo City Council minutes, Terracotta has brought on board the new investor as part of efforts to unlock funding and restart works at the Egodini site.
“Terracotta had also been engaged and had brought in a new investor who was involved in the development of the Zimbabwe Mall in Harare,” the minutes read in part.
“Works would commence soon at Egodini and a detailed report would be submitted to Council accordingly.”
The development marks the latest turn in a project that has faced years of delays, missed deadlines and repeated extensions.
The Egodini redevelopment, once envisioned as a modern transport hub and shopping complex, has struggled to take off despite being awarded to Terracotta several years ago.
In November last year, the city council granted the project another lifeline after the developer submitted key documents to avoid termination of the contract.
According to council minutes from the acting director of works dated November 13, 2025, Terracotta narrowly escaped termination after providing proof of funding, a performance bond, a revised project structure and a detailed programme of works on October 15.
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The city had initially issued a six-month notice of termination in December 2024, citing “abandonment of the site, lack of progress, non-payment of rentals, and failure to submit a detailed programme of works.”
That notice was later extended to September 12, 2025, as engagements between the two parties continued.
A crucial meeting held on September 16, 2025 saw Terracotta pleading its case and agreeing to comply with the city’s conditions.
Following the submission of documents in October, council management recommended continuation of the project.
“The management committee was satisfied with the responses provided and supports the continuation of the Egodini Re-development Project under the revised consortium,” the minutes read.
Council subsequently extended the termination notice to September 2, 2026, giving the developer more time to meet outstanding obligations.
The project has also been at the centre of governance tensions within council.
Management previously moved to rescind a resolution that allowed councillors to directly engage Terracotta, arguing that contract administration falls under the town clerk as the accounting officer.
This position drew resistance from some councillors, who insisted on their oversight role in a project of significant public interest, especially given its prolonged delays.
At the time, the acting drector of works also indicated that Terracotta was restructuring its operations, with a revised programme of works pointing to a possible construction restart in early 2026.
Terracotta was awarded the US$60 million tender in 2016 and was charged with the refurbishment of the Basch Street Terminus, popularly known as Egodini, into a mall and regional transport hub.
Since then, it has been a tale of missed deadlines.
Once complete, the mall will be Bulawayo’s first major infrastructural project in more than two decades, with the Bulawayo Centre shopping mall having been the last after its construction in 2007.
But the Bulawayo Centre shopping mall project remains incomplete to date.
