LOCAL Government minister Ignatius Chombo has gagged Bulawayo City Council (BCC) from speaking to the media about plans to rename Main Street in honour of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, a project which was approved by the local authority five years ago.
Report by Dumisani Sibanda/Khanyile Mlotshwa
According to the BCC latest report, Chombo on August 17 this year wrote to the local authority directing that they keep a tight lid on the matter. In the circular reproduced in the council report, Chombo said: “The government appreciated the quest by local authorities to recognise the invaluable contribution by some of the nation’s prominent citizens through naming certain streets, institutions and places after them.
“However, it is instructive for all local authorities to note that matters pertinent to such changes are appropriately handled via a designated Cabinet committee on Change of Place Names, which is chaired by the Vice-President, (John Landa) Nkomo.
“Thus, local authorities are directed to channel their recommendations through the Provincial Administrators to the Minister of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development for consideration by the said committee before approval by Cabinet.
Please note that any premature and unsanctioned interaction with the Press is ultra vires the government modus operandi.”
BCC chamber secretary Sikhangezile Zhou in the report said the communication “was just a ministerial circular reminding local authorities to adhere to the provisions of the relevant Act”.Zhou added the local authority had always followed the procedures and “any delays in finalising matters was attributable to the central government, for example on the issue of renaming Main Street to JM Nkomo Street”. Bulawayo mayor Thaba Moyo on Wednesday accused central government of stalling the renaming of Main Street in VP NKomo’s honour.
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Moyo said: “As council we made the resolution to rename the street after Nkomo more than five years ago and forwarded it to central government. The papers are with the governor, Cain Mathema, and he is the person to ask what is holding back the renaming of the street.”
But Mathema attributed the delays to lack of funds for the erection of the Nkomo statue at the intersection of Main Street and Eighth Avenue. The first statue was unceremoniously pulled down in September 2010 after the Nkomo family protested that they had not been consulted on the project.
“The Bulawayo City Council approved the decision to rename Main Street after Nkomo in 2006 and I am the one who had made the proposal, but the idea has been to rename the street at the same time as the unveiling of the statue,” Mathema said.
