eBusiness Weekly
Tawanda Musarurwa
The Bulawayo heritage and cultural tour is a fascinating bit; most certainly so, with its wide array of attention-grabbing places of interest.
Trust me, you won’t be able to complete the sight-see itinerary in one go, so I suggest you pick your points of interest.
Here I give you some of the visits (in no particular order) that captured my imagination.
A caveat here: The features mentioned here have so much more history than we can describe in this limited space.
Market Square
This large space was once the cultivated fields of some of King Lobengula’s wives. Before the colonial invasion they lived near what is now the railway station. Given the open space that these fields provided as well as its central location in the new town, this area quickly became the public market.
In 1895 the first Market Hall was built.
Main Street
This road still houses many of Bulawayo’s leading commercial and Government facilities. The Inner City tour typically starts at the old Cenotaph that lies between two impressive Government buildings. It was unveiled in 1925 by Edward, Prince of Wales.
The natural granite pillar came from the Matobo Hills. It is surrounded by a cloister where the names are inscribed of those Rhodesians (largely White) who died in the First and Second World Wars, as well as some of those killed in later campaigns. According to the tour guides, plans are now underway to make it more inclusive, commemorating all who have fallen in the name of the Nation.
Stanley Hall
Built in 1936 by the African Welfare Society, Stanley Hall and the adjacent Stanley Square have been at the heart of sport and politics in African Bulawayo.
Main & 8th
This is one of Bulawayo’s prime junctions. It was here that a 12foot statue of Cecil John Rhodes was erected in 1904. Looking north along Main Street it was a powerful symbol of the aspirations of colonisation of Africa. It was removed in 1980 and more recently there have been moves to erect a statue to a Bulawayo-boy; the African nationalist leader and father of Zimbabwe Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.
Main Street (between Leopold Takawira & 6th)
At one time this was the commercial heart of the town and there were several important and imposing buildings. Taramal (formally Imperial) House was built in 1895. It is an imposing classical building of bi-coloured Passipas sandstone.
Agency Chambers was THE premises in the town. Here the first telephone exchange was installed serving the offices of various mining houses and speculative land companies.
In 1906, a portion became the High Court and legal firms took up most of the remainder.
On the opposite side of the road is the Goldfields Building (1895). This was the office of a speculative mining company Goldfields of Mashonaland whose crest still adorns the gable. It was the town’s first double-storied structure.
Immediately next-door is a single storied structure of equal historical importance. The Africa Bank was built in 1895. At its rear there was once a gold assaying facility and traces of gold must still be present.
Lobengula Street & 2nd Avenue
Named after King Lobengula this road was the effective boundary between Rhodes’ White Bulawayo and the African Bulawayo. With colonisation the African community became second-class citizens. Initially they were neglected, most dwelling outside of the town on smallholdings as “squatters” or paying tenants.
A few crowded into a small area to the north and west of the White town. The first “Location” would later become the White suburbs of Paddonhurst and Parkview.
Historical information on sites used here is courtesy of Rob Burrett & Cont Mhlanga.
