The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has confirmed that the Richmond Sanitary weighbridge is 97% complete, following delays that saw it miss the initial June 20, 2025, completion date.
The weighbridge is a critical upgrade for Bulawayo’s waste management system, expected to improve the accuracy and reliability of solid waste data, streamline operations and support evidence-based decision-making in the city’s sanitation services.
Latest council minutes show that the works department reported on November 13 that the City of Bulawayo is undertaking a project for supply, installation and commissioning of a weighbridge at Richmond Sanitary, awarded to Flexible Measurement and Control Systems (Pvt) Ltd under contract Number COB/CH01/2017.
“The contract was previously suspended in 2018 and had resumed under a revised scope and contract value to ensure alignment with updated technical and operational requirements,” the minutes read.
Under the contract price and financial summary, council indicated that its commencement date had been revised to April 16, 2025 and the expected completion date is June 20, 2025.
“A total contract price of US$64 392,04 which was broken down as follows: upgraded solar power system: US$30 419,34, burglar bar supply and installation: US$3 567,13, hardware & software upgrades: US$10 439,78, weighbridge re-sizing: US$5 801,69, control room remedial works: US$5 777,93 and other remedial works:
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US$8 386,17,” read the minutes.
“Upgraded solar power system, hardware and software upgrades, burglar supply and installation, and other remedial works and control room remedial works have been made totalling US$58 590,35.”
On progress on site, council noted that overall completion status is 97% and works completed include an upgraded solar power system, hardware and software upgrades and control room remedial works.
On key incident and current status, council said a fire incident occurred at the weighbridge facility during the reporting period.
“The fire caused extensive structural damage to the weighbridge. This was reported to the procurement management unit on 27 March 2025,”the minutes read.
“A review meeting had been pending to assess the damage, evaluate contractual impacts and define the path to restoring weighbridge functionality.”
On challenges and mitigation council said as a result of damage due to the fire incident, there was a major setback requiring structural reassessment and possible reinstallation of affected components.
Council said the PMU had been advised to convene a meeting to address issues highlighted in the report.
In addition, fire protection measures around the weighbridge area should be reviewed and strengthened to mitigate the risk of similar incidents in the future.
“The project is 97% complete, progressing despite past and recent challenges. Timely strategic decisions following the fire were crucial to final delivery,” the minutes read. “Stakeholders were urged to expedite reviews to prevent further delay.”