Claim: David Coltart received R75 000 bribe from South African-based McCormick Property Development Company to partner in the Egodini project and not cancel Terracota’s tender.
Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Davd Coltart has dismissed claims that he received bribes and colluded with the South African-based McCormick Property Development Company, to work alongside Terracota (Private) Limited to complete Egodini.
Terracotta was awarded the US$60 million contract in 2012 to transform the Egodini terminus into a world-class mall with a taxi rank and stalls for informal traders, but missed the February 7, 2023, deadline to complete the first phase of the development.
As a result, it was reported that Terracotta faced the risk of court action due to missed deadlines as the construction of Egodini Mall has now reached eight years.
This year, Coltart entered into discussions with McCormick Property Development to speed up the construction of the multi-million-dollar Egodini Mall and redesign some of the vendors’ bays.
However, it was alleged that days before Coltart embarked on his anniversary celebration in Europe, the mayor allegedly convened a clandestine meeting with McCormick Property Development in Bulawayo.
It was also alleged that McCormick Property, which is a family-owned business, has connections to Coltart’s own family and during that secret meeting, Coltart, alongside Town Clerk Christopher Dube and the recalled Deputy Mayor Donaldson Mabutho, assured McCormick Property Development that they would override the Council Management’s decision to cancel Terracotta Trading’s tender and extend the contract’s duration.
“In exchange for this assurance, Coltart reportedly accepted a R75 000 bribe, cunningly disguised as a gift for his recent mayoral victory,” read an article that went viral on Whatsapp groups.
This article further claimed Coltart’s ties to the McCormick Property raised serious concerns about the mayor’s commitment to transparency and ethical governance when he was “once hailed as a champion of development and an anti-corruption crusader.”
However, in an interview with CITE, the Bulawayo mayor dismissed this article with contempt.
“This report is absolute nonsense designed to undermine what we are trying to do for Bulawayo. The objective, independently verifiable, facts speak for themselves and expose the truth regarding this false and malicious report,” he told CITE.
Although the engagement with McCormick Property Development does not mean the Bulawayo City Council has nullified its initial partnership with Terracotta, insiders within council have indicated that Terracota was given until March 2024 to have completed the work it stipulated it would complete and that the council will review its progress in January next year.
