Trababalas Interchange: A shoddy, vulgar sobriquet of raw looting— says ex-Finance minister Biti

FORMER Finance Minister Tendai Biti has laid into President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government over the ‘inflated’ cost of the Trababalas Interchange pegged at US$88 million — a staggering amount more than double the regional market price for constructing a similar, or even larger structure.

Biti’s outrage follows the government’s struggle to convince the ordinary public of the justification for the costs of the recently commissioned Trababalas infrastructure officially commissioned by Mnangagwa last Friday.

Biti said the costs for the interchange are out of line, charging that some larger projects in the region were completed at lower costs compared to this latest one in Zimbabwe.

“The Mbudzi Interchange, appropriately named the Trababalas Interchange is a major crime scene. Built at a cost of US$88m, the interchange is a shoddy, vulgar sobriquet of raw looting and grandiose theft of public funds,” Biti wrote on his X account Saturday.

“The US$88m is way out of line with comparative regional projects that have cost significantly less. For instance, SA’s Mount Edgecombe project, the biggest in Africa which cost US$70 million.”

The former Treasury chief also labelled Mnangagwa’s government as a mafia group, which bypassed tender processes and awarded the contract to build such a huge project to Mnangagwa’s alleged cronies.

“The project was not subject to international tender but instead was awarded to a local cartel and its associates, that has been at the centre of massive looting of public coffers since 2017.

“The cartel has been the biggest recipient of all Treasury Bills issued in this country and has been active in Command Agriculture, mining, fuel, banking, financial services, buses, roads, hospitals, retail and general procurement,” he said.

Biti called on Parliament to carry out a forensic audit to establish how the project was funded, saying the entire financing process has been opaque, contrary to Public Finance Management principles, which emphasise on transparency and accountability.

“These questions arise because of the predatory veil of opaqueness that has been the MO (modus operandi) of the regime. Parliament must cause a forensic audit of this project and examining legal financial & engineering constructs of this pagoda. Corruption must stop.”

Meanwhile, the public, through social media, has voiced concerns regarding the project and expressed shock that it cost US$88 million, attacking Mnangagwa and his government as corrupt leaders.