Joshua Nkomo statues to be erected in all cities

STATUES for the late Father Zimbabwe and Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo will be erected in all the country's cities with Harare likely to be the next, an official has said.

The statue has so far been erected in Bulawayo. Speaking on the sidelines of the Bulawayo Outreach Awards held at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo yesterday, chairperson of the Joshua Nkomo Cultural Movement, Mr Michael Sibangilizwe Nkomo said they were still following the initial proposal which will see statues being erected across the country.

"Indeed the statues are going to be erected across the country as per the initial proposal. There is only one Father Zimbabwe and for that to be fulfilled there should be statues in every city and also public places like shopping malls, depending on the size and design of the statue," he said.

"We have to first erect the one in Harare and right now we are deciding on the place but the statue is already available. For other places the statues are not yet there, but once we finish negotiations and reach an agreement with relevant authorities they will be crafted."

Mr Nkomo said it was imperative that the crafting of the statues be done by local youths, not foreigners.

"We wish that when these statues are crafted, they are done by the children of the soil. We don't want people from outside the country to be the ones doing this work when we have talented youths who can do the work. If a statue is to be erected in Mutare, it should be a child from Mutare who partakes in the work and the same applies to every city," he said.

Meanwhile, renowned historian Mr Pathisa Nyathi, Iyasa director Mr Nkululeko Dube and veteran modelling instructor Mrs Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda were part of the outstanding people who were honoured at the inaugural awards handing over ceremony.

The awards celebrated remarkable men and women who have made great strides in self-development and the development of Bulawayo.

Some of the people who attended the event included Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, Gwanda Mayor, Councillor Knowledge Ndlovu, and Bigtime Srategic Group chief executive officer Mr Justice Maphosa.

Mr Nyathi walked away with the Order of Mambo (Lozwi-Rozwi Kingdom) Outstanding Historian, Contribution to Culture and Heritage. Mr Dube was presented with the Order of Njelele award for his outstanding contribution to arts and culture as a youth mentor and founder of Iyasa.

Mrs Mpofu-Sibanda walked away with the Order of Jairos Jiri award for her outstanding Youth Mentor-Modelling Industry as a girl child mentor. Mr Maphosa said it was a very important that everyone should contribute to the development of the city and country at large.