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'Rhodesian currency only' sign riles Mugabe's aide
01 Dec 2014 at 07:58hrs | Views
MEDIA, Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary George Charamba recently came face to face with a "painful reminder" of colonialism that he said undermined the country's independence during a tour of venues for the Region Five Games in Bulawayo.
Charamba was dismayed to see a notice which read "Rhodesian currency only" and "No towels for hire", at the Bulawayo City Pool on Wednesday last week.
He said it was disturbing to realise that after 34 years of independence, there was still a message of the terrible Rhodesian era in the country.
"It's painful that Zimbabwe hasn't made up its mind on how to handle its history after 34 years. Why do we have a plaque with such an inscription after 34 years of independence? This is a message of bygone Rhodesia, this is injurious and negative given that Zimbabwe is an independent state.
"It took us 15 years to gain independence from Rhodesia but then why are we retaining its remnants. We changed Milton House to Munhumutapa Building. We did this as a way of showing that we're an independent country," Charamba said.
He also noted that some sections of schools in Bulawayo were still using colonial names.
"Look at the names of schools such as Milton High School, Gifford and Townsend, just to name a few. That really shows that we've to make up our minds on how we handle our history. Such names have a colonial connotation," Charamba said.
Chief Executive Officer for the Local Organising Committee for the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games, Elkanah Dube, said: "We've noted that. But I believe it will not affect our forthcoming Youth Games. The momentum has been great and preparations are going on very well. Right now we're only doing final touches and by December 2 everything will be done."
Meanwhile, the entourage that included Chief Secretary in the office of the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda and five permanent secretaries in various ministries toured the venues of Region 5 Games. Sibanda said preparedness at the venues was at 90 percent, and the whole process is expected to be complete in time for the Games which start on December 5 and run until December 14 featuring 10 countries - Chronicle Reporter/B-Metro.
Charamba was dismayed to see a notice which read "Rhodesian currency only" and "No towels for hire", at the Bulawayo City Pool on Wednesday last week.
He said it was disturbing to realise that after 34 years of independence, there was still a message of the terrible Rhodesian era in the country.
"It's painful that Zimbabwe hasn't made up its mind on how to handle its history after 34 years. Why do we have a plaque with such an inscription after 34 years of independence? This is a message of bygone Rhodesia, this is injurious and negative given that Zimbabwe is an independent state.
"It took us 15 years to gain independence from Rhodesia but then why are we retaining its remnants. We changed Milton House to Munhumutapa Building. We did this as a way of showing that we're an independent country," Charamba said.
He also noted that some sections of schools in Bulawayo were still using colonial names.
"Look at the names of schools such as Milton High School, Gifford and Townsend, just to name a few. That really shows that we've to make up our minds on how we handle our history. Such names have a colonial connotation," Charamba said.
Chief Executive Officer for the Local Organising Committee for the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games, Elkanah Dube, said: "We've noted that. But I believe it will not affect our forthcoming Youth Games. The momentum has been great and preparations are going on very well. Right now we're only doing final touches and by December 2 everything will be done."
Meanwhile, the entourage that included Chief Secretary in the office of the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda and five permanent secretaries in various ministries toured the venues of Region 5 Games. Sibanda said preparedness at the venues was at 90 percent, and the whole process is expected to be complete in time for the Games which start on December 5 and run until December 14 featuring 10 countries - Chronicle Reporter/B-Metro.
Source - chronicle
