By NQOBANI NDLOVU
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) yesterday launched the I Love Bulawayo campaign which coincided with the Bulawayo Day celebrations to showcase the city’s heritage, diversity and artistic potential.
Council in October 2019 declared June 1 as Bulawayo Day.
The last King of the Ndebele State, King Lobengula renamed his royal town from Gibixhegu to koBulawayo in 1871 while colonialist Leander Starr Jameson declared it a town on June 1, 1894.
Mayor Solomon Mguni yesterday rallied residents to celebrate the city’s history and legacy.
“Bulawayo as the epicentre of the Matabeleland region is a key cultural pillar that cements the diversity of the tribes, languages, values, customs and culture of the people of Zimbabwe. Our celebration of Bulawayo is anchored on our rich history, heritage and legacy,” Mguni said.
“It is for this reason that we launch the I Love Bulawayo campaign to help rekindle the love that we have for Bulawayo from different parts of the world.
“As we may not be able to meet physically this week, the I Love Bulawayo campaign allows us to share the love we have for the city which is in every fibre and centre of our community and city.”
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Council is hosting a virtual Bulawayo Arts Festival ending on Friday under the theme: We own winter (Wow) in commemoration of Bulawayo Day.
As Bulawayo celebrates its 127th birthday, the city is witnessing an unprecedented increase in the number of abandoned buildings in the central business district (CBC) in a clear sign of urban decay.
Bulawayo has gone for over two decades without any new infrastructural development in the CBD, with the Bulawayo Centre shopping mall being the last after its construction in 2007.
The Bulawayo Centre shopping mall project, however, remains incomplete to date.
The planned Egodini mall is also failing to take off several years after South African contractor Terracotta Trading (Private) Limited won the tender to upgrade the former Basch Street terminus to a regional public transport hub in 2012.
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