The government has been criticised for neglecting the Old Bulawayo heritage site, which was razed by a veld fire in 2010.
Habakkuk Trust chief executive officer Dumisani Nkomo said there was little regard on the part of the government on sites that had an impact on the culture and identity of the people of Matabeleland. “We have to look at it on a broader history including that of Old Bulawayo which symbolises the history and culture of the Matabele kingdom,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that little attention has been given even to the Joshua Nkomo statue. It creates a bigger picture of the neglect of the people of Matabeleland.”
Local political analyst Zenzele Ndebele accused Zanu PF of cultural hegemony saying, “if it was Great Zimbabwe, it would have been restored a long time ago”.
“The government has never been serious about cultural and heritage sites in Matabeleland from Old Bulawayo, Gadade, Phuphu and where the Rudd Concession was signed,” he said.
But National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) director Godfrey Mahachi denied the accusations.
“There is a committee that was set up to mobilise resources from the private sector to combine with the ones from government to make a meaningful amount to get Old Bulawayo restored,” he said. “There are leading Bulawayo citizens looking at that. The reason why there is no work on Old Bulawayo is that government has not been disbursing any of its grants.”
However, renowned playwright Cont Mhlanga said while it was the duty of the NMMZ to restore the site, “we do not know the challenges they are facing, but I do not think that is exactly the issue”.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Old Bulawayo, which is 17km from Bulawayo, was razed in August 2010 when a veld fire started about 5km from the heritage site destroying the king’s kraal, wagon shed, a house built for him by missionaries, the palisade and eight beehive huts – including the King’s Palace. It was Ndebele King Lobengula’s capital.
