Angela Nothando Mlotshwa
Environment and Health Reporter
Before and after independence the park adjacent to Bulawayo’s Central Business District formerly called Central Park but renamed in 1953 to Rhode’s Centenary Park was one of the leading domestic tourism destinations.
It is best known for the fountain where a lot of newlyweds have their photos taken. It is home to several species, flora, and fauna and boasts a Museum of natural history and two theatres.
Bulawayo’s main park also boasts a caravan and tent park. Fast forward to the new normal of Bulawayo being part of a dysfunctional Zimbabwean economy, Inter City buses that have abandoned Renkini are now picking up passengers in the vicinity.
There is a lot of littering in the park, and homeless people have built shanty towns in some sections of this large public garden.
The park used to be home to a functionally rideable miniature railway. The rail tracks are still there but the locomotive shades, the model locomotives, the passengers, and the pleasure that this brought, are all gone.
Next to this was a miniature golf course whose infrastructure is still in place but it has become a white elephant.
This article should serve as an open letter to the City Fathers to do something about this matter before it’s too late.
This park is located along what was once called Selborne Avenue now called Leopold Takawira Street (named after one of the founding ZANU-PF members).
It is not just Centenary/ Central Park that is not in its proper shape. There are also neglected parks at Nketa 7, Nketa 6, Mpopoma, Highlanders Clubhouse, and Northend.
ZIM GBC NEWS sought a comment from the Bulawayo City Council and got the following reply,
“The collapse of the irrigation water system at our Parks is due to infrastructure aging as a result of natural wear and tear. It should be noted that Parks was irrigated using a system of reclaimed water harnessed from the Thorngrove Sewerage Treatment Works. This plant is old and in need of refurbishment. Reclaimed water was pumped from this plant to irrigate the Centenary and Central Park. This is no longer happening due to constrained reclaimed water resources. The little water produced from this treatment works is channeled to irrigate the Barbourfields stadium although it is also not enough. Coupled with this challenge the distribution system is also old and suffers frequent bursts.
The City of Bulawayo has sunk two boreholes at the Parks to augment water supplies and we are currently irrigating as per the borehole yields. Council has also approached the corporate world to chip in to resuscitate the Park in terms of their Social Corporate Responsibility and these engagements are still underway. The aim is to drill more boreholes and equip them with requisite sprinkler pipework and to landscape the Parks to improve the aesthetics. The resuscitation also requires the procurement of equipment such as ride-on mowers to maintain the grass. We require about ZWL$ 200 Million for park development purposes.”
“There are other facilities that support the Parks such as Coffee bars and Ice Cream Parlous to name but a few. These have previously been tendered out to the public and unfortunately, those that have been awarded the public tenders have failed to invest as anticipated. In the future, the City is looking towards the Park being redesigned to provide more public spaces that can be leased to the citizens to improve the Park amenities. It is also envisaged that a Friends of the Centenary and Central Parks resuscitation drive be put in place for interested citizens willing to partake in the programs and projects meant to restore the Park to its glory.”
“The City of Bulawayo further notes that the Park belongs to the citizens of Bulawayo. Let’s preserve the infrastructure as residents. Off late there has been desecration of the Park infrastructure, littering, and illegal picking up of passengers among others. While Council is trying to maintain the facility with subdued resources it is all our duty to keep our facility clean and tidy manner. Council is also inviting the corporate world to chip in with resources in the Park resuscitation agenda for the benefit of all residents in the city.” Said the BCC Corporate Communications Officer Bongiwe Ngwenya