BY KENNETH NYANGANI
OPPOSITION MDC councillors in Mutare City yesterday resolved to re-name Second Street after the late opposition leader and former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The proposal was made by councillor Simon Chabuka and adopted by all the city fathers.
In his submissions, Chabuka said council should honour the legacy left by the late Tsvangirai, who hailed from Buhera in Manicaland.
Council was debating the renaming of roads in Mutare following a directive by Local Government minister July Moyo that five roads be renamed after late Zanu PF politicians and another one after President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Councillors unanimously adopted the motion without debate, after dropping the name of late Zanu PF politburo member Kumbirai Kangai from the list submitted by government.
Mutare mayor Blessing Tandi said council had already made an undertaking to have Second Street named after Tsvangirai, with submissions made to the ministry for approval, but there has been no acknowledgment.
“As far as I recall, in the previous council, we made a motion and recommendation to have Second Street renamed after Dr Richard Morgan Tsvangirai, but we have not heard anything from the ministry in response to our submissions,” Tandi said.
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However, Chabuka was adamant that the power to name streets rested with council and not government, which can only through Cabinet make proposals and recommendations.
He said Tsvangirai represented the province in the highest echelons of power and was instrumental in government during the Government of National Unity between 2009 and 2013.
“We have a mandate to name these streets and not to get instructions from government. We have also our own luminaries who we would want to honour. Such people have to be honoured for the roles they played; they deserve to have their names on these streets,” Chabuka said.
“We have the late Morgan Tsvangirai who hails from Manicaland and was a Prime Minister, the highest position ever to be occupied by anyone from this province. We know him and he was even noted as a doyen of democracy.”
