Renaming of Main Street to named Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, long overdue

THE renaming of Bulawayo's Main Street to Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street has been praised as a positive development that will restore the legacy of the late Vice President of Zimbabwe. Residents of Bulawayo and civil society have said that the legacy of Joshua Nkomo is one of the few remaining issues that can unite the people of Bulawayo in light of political polarisation.

Busisa Mthethwa, a flower vendor in Bulawayo appreciated the decision that has been taken by the city fathers and said that he is glad that Nkomo has finally been given the status he deserves. He added that renaming Main Street to Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street is one of the few issues that can unite the people and called for people to agree on the most suitable way by which to remember Nkomo.

"This is probably one of the most important decisions made by the council this year and thank God it was unanimous. There was a time when there were a lot of disagreements about the issue of honouring Nkomo and we ended up having the statue pulled down. I thought that we had lost an opportunity to pay due tribute to Nkomo but I am happy it did not die. Nkomo's legacy is one of the few things that continues to unite us as a country despite all the political polarisation. I hope this time all the necessary consultations were made with the family so that they are happy with the new statue," said Mthethwa.

Discent Bajila, a young activist in Bulawayo described the street's renaming as noble and urged the local authority to also upgrade the state of the buildings along the street so as to fit Nkomo's legacy.

He also called for the new statue that will be erected along the street to be acceptable to the people of Bulawayo.

"This is a noble initiative. We need to honour people who have taken us this far as a country. There is no debate about the selfless contribution that Nkomo made in building the nation. My only wish is that the buildings that are along Main Street are also upgraded to befit Nkomo's legacy. Many of the buildings are an eyesore. There also seems to be a lot of work on the re-worked version of the Nkomo stature and the pace of the workers seems to be good. It looks like the pedestal is going to be bigger this time and we hope the statue will also show Nkomo's stature so that even children will appreciate it," said Bajila.

Bulawayo Mayor, Cllr Patrick Thaba Moyo made the announcement to rename Main Street earlier in the week, saying that councillors were unanimous in their decision. He said that their decision would ensure that people across the world know about the legacy of Joshua Nkomo. He also added the name change will happen soon after the erection of the new statue.

"As soon as the statue is erected, the street name will be changed. Our wish is for Father Zimbabwe to be known throughout the world. The name will be on all maps of the city and those who do not know about this great man will soon learn about him and his history. The decision to make this happen was a unanimous one in council," said Moyo.

A reworked statue of Nkomo was expected to be installed at the same site before Heroes Day but Home Affairs Co-Minister Kembo Mohadi, who is in charge of the project, said that the work was behind schedule.

Zimbabweans have also called for the Ministry of Education to look into the history syllabus to includes more facts on Nkomo so that children can learn more on Nkomo and his legacy.