VENDORS operating at Entumbane bus terminus in Bulawayo say their business is suffering a serious setback after many long-distance buses abandoned the rank.
The traders said they used to serve several people travelling to rural areas such as Nkayi, Lupane, Binga, Tsholotsho and Victoria Falls, among others.
The transport operators are now using the rank close to Amakhosi Theatre and Emakhandeni (Magetsini intersection), among other undesignated areas.
Some of the bus crews are also using Makokoba bus rank for loading, a development that has resulted in business dwindling at the Entumbane bus rank.
A vendor at the Entumbane terminus, who only identified herself as Moyo, said business was low at their base as the bays were almost empty, save for a few buses that continued using the terminus.
“Business is slow these days. I have been a vendor here since 2009 and when the Victoria Falls buses still operated here, there were many people coming in. Business was booming back in the day. Now it is difficult to pay council rates at the same time making profits,” she said.
“The city council should make the Victoria Falls-bound buses come back here. The buses now use Amakhosi Theatre as their pick-up point in the central business district. They should also allow the kombis to Tsholotsho to move from Emakhandeni and come back to the terminus.”
Another vendor also confirmed that there were a few buses loading at the terminus, adding that operators that plied the Bulawayo-Binga route were the ones consistently using the terminus.
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In an interview, Ayanda Sikhosana raised concern over the deplorable infrastructure at the terminus.
“I have been here for quite some time now and the city council has never done anything to fix these structures or make more shelters despite us paying taxes regularly,” she said.
“When there is wind, like nowadays in winter, our stock often gets blown away. We also want well-built sheds like those at the Egodini taxi rank.
“The place is filthy, as you can see for yourself. We wish the city council could collect garbage more regularly. We now resort to throwing litter on the pavements at the bus terminus.”
The Entumbane Complex and bus terminus were opened by the Bulawayo City Council in 2002 to be a transport hub for long-distance buses covering Matabeleland North province.
