Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
WHEN Bulawayo was declared a town on 1 June 1894, perhaps few gathered on that auspicious occasion could be bothered to recall that the city now being welcomed into late 19th-century “modernity” had been a smouldering ruin only a few months prior.
Faced with the ferocity of the death-spitting Maxim gun, King Lobengula had been left with no choice but to order a retreat, leaving the city burning behind him as he made his way to the northern parts of Matabeleland.
Thus, when Bulawayo was eventually declared a city in 1894, the hearts of his people were still sore, and not a lot of healing would have taken place when the nine elected representatives became the first Municipal Council in November 1897.
Throughout those early years that marked the birth of a would-be metropolis, there would be sporadic and sometimes sustained acts of resistance towards the white-washed version of “progress” that was being dished out to the native population.
By 1943, when it was declared a city by Proclamation 21, Bulawayo had largely stopped burning.
King Lobengula’s retreat and his fabled disappearance were now immortalised in song. New heroes were emerging and landmarks were being born on the cityscape that would define its identity over the next decades.
This week, as the city celebrates Bulawayo Day, Sunday Life looked at some of the iconic landscapes that have helped define the City of Kings.
The Cooling Towers
When the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) announced that it wanted to demolish the cooling towers back in 2019, there was an uproar. The city’s residents, together with some city fathers, felt that this was an unnecessary act of aggression against the very soul of Bulawayo.
“These towers have a historical significance and there is no Bulawayo without those towers so if you destroy those towers, you would rather destroy the city. Destroying the towers is akin to destroying the Great Zimbabwe Monuments,” said the city’s then Mayor, Solomon Mguni during a heated meeting.
ZPC’s plan, of course, was guided purely by scientific reasoning. Having secured a US$110 million line of credit from India Eximbank to repower Bulawayo Power Station, it had plans to demolish the two cooling towers because the power station has outlived its lifespan of not more than 30 years.
When it comes to those cooling towers that loom large over Bulawayo, science, facts and figures, will rarely win you the argument in Bulawayo.
Built in 1947 with an installed capacity of 120 megawatts, the towers are what gave Bulawayo the name “Kontuthu Ziyathunqa”.
The industrial decline over the years has meant that the smoke no longer bellows into the air from the city’s industries as much as it used to do in the past. However, the towers still serve as a reminder of the glory of the city and a promise of what it could be again in the future if the stars align once again.
Stanley Hall and Stanley Square
Like Siamese twins that cannot be separated, Stanley Hall and Stanley Square come together as a package. Built in 1936 as a recreational centre, Stanley Hall and Stanley Square were declared National Monuments by the
Government in 2017, as a recognition of the great role they have played in the political and cultural history of the city.
If the walls at Stanley Hall could talk, they would narrate about the day that liberation icon George Silundika said his matrimonial vows or when Samuel Parirenyatwa was given a heartfelt send-off.
Stanley Hall
The walls would no doubt have a lot to say about how the Gama Sigma Club, a voluntary organisation that attracted young African intellectuals, which began having its meeting at the club in the 1940s, attracting such titans as Tennyson Hlabangana, the first black graduate in Rhodesia.
Over the years Stanley Hall and Stanley Square have served as the cradle for the birth of some of the country’s most notable political and cultural movements.
In the arts, Stanley Hall served as the ideal crib for Cont Mhlanga’s Amakhosi in its infancy, as it slowly transformed from a karate dojo into a fully-fledged arts organisation that catered for all disciplines. For years, it was the venue of the once internationally acclaimed Ibumba Festival run by Siyaya, a group made up mostly of people who grew up watching productions at the venue.
The group, alongside others like jazz veterans Cool Crooners, were among many who have called Stanley Hall home over the years, practicing there and hosting shows.
While the two might seem to have lost a bit of lustre over the years, last year the City of Bulawayo poured US$200 000 into the renovation of Stanley Hall, with funds committed to covering replacement, ceiling replacement, wall repainting, plumbing fittings replacement, fence replacement to match the existing fence, stage floor replacement, doors and door frames replacement, electrical refurbishment and landscaping.
Barbourfields Stadium
Any tourist should question their tour guide if at any point during an exploration of the city, they do not take them on a detour to the city’s ceremonial home of football. Aptly named Emagumeni, Barbourfields Stadium is more than just another arena where 22 young men kick and chase after leather for 90 minutes on any given Sunday. Some of the city’s best memories are tied to this 25 000-seater stadium which stands sandwiched between the iconic suburbs of Mzilikazi and Barbourfields.
Barbourfields Stadium
Built sometime in the 1930s, development at the stadium started to take bigger strides in the 1950s, with early costs regarded as too high. For example, the first contractors to fence Barbourfields set the cost at $300, which at the time was considered astronomical. While it is now seen largely as the home of local giants, Highlanders Football Club, the sports arena in its infancy catered for both soccer and cycling races which were very popular at that time.
Named after the former Mayor of Bulawayo, Barbour, the stadium now not only has sporting prominence but cultural significance, with a visit to Barbourfields considered one of the key items to tick on a visitor’s to-do list whenever they visit the City of Kings.
Haddon and Sly
Once upon a time, big department stores were dotted around Bulawayo. In those heydays, these stores were where everyone flocked for all their needs, from household furniture to clothes. However, over the years, things have changed and instead of formal shops, residents of Bulawayo now hunt for bargains from car boots and smaller boutiques. Department stores have been largely wiped off the face of the cityscape but Haddon and Sly has stubbornly hung on, reinventing itself to become a hive, particularly for the hip and the young in the City of Kings.