Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
BEITBRIDGE Municipality is finalising the street and suburb renaming programme and has also tendered for 510 road signs as it seeks to modernise the town.
The border town was granted municipality status in March 2018 as part of Government’s initiative to accelerate development at the country’s busiest port of entry.
Town clerk, Mr Loud Ramakgapola said the street and suburb renaming exercise started three years ago and was now in its final stage. He said the programme was being carried out in terms of the Urban Councils Act.
“It is a work in progress. We have names proposed some three years ago and we should this year put some street and suburb names,” he said.
“In addition, we have placed a tender for 510 road signs and we have so far received 204 road signs. These are Sadc compliant signs. Beitbridge being part of Sadc should comply and update our signs”.
He said consultative meetings were held with residents, local legislators and other stakeholders between 2016 and 2018 to propose and adopt new street and suburb names.
He said they were now installing signs, including billboards and maps of the street and suburb names on some major roads around the town.
Under the new order the town will have 12 suburbs: Matibe (low density formerly Eastly), Tshidixwa (old Medium Density near OJs Business Centre), Stauze (Mashavire, Hlalani Khuhle/Garikai, Two Rooms and Mangavha areas), Khwalu 1 (Shule-Shule and SDP stands), Kwalu 2 (Mfelandawonye and Forit stands), Mabidi (Medium Density west of White Lodge) and Vhembe View (old Low Density and CBD area).
Other suburbs are Madinginye (High and Medium Density west of Welton Primary School), Siyoka (Low Density stands along Bulawayo Road), Limpopo View (west of border post), Dulivhadzimu (old Dulivhadzimu and Vhembe High School area) and Milayo industrial area (Industrial area north of old Medium Density suburbs).
Some of the proposed road names are Tshikwelengwe (the roads that lead to Masvingo and Harare) and Robert Mugabe (the road leading to Gwanda and Bulawayo. Granite and Hagelthorn roads which cut across the border and CBD have been renamed Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo.The other major roads are Mahopolo, Industrial Link, Makhado, Tshinoni (CBD), Tshifhumila (CBD), Kohomela (Industrial), Mazibeli (Medium Density Suburb), Goda (Limpopo View Suburb) and Makavhane (Dulivhadzimu Suburb).
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