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NEXT year there will be two major activities that are going to happen in Bulawayo, each of them with huge potential of changing the lives of the people of the city.
The first one is the refurbishment or rather the construction of a state-of-the-art regional transport hub to replace the now dilapidated Egodini which has not only become an eyesore but a sign of stagnation in development in Bulawayo. The second development is the hosting of the African Union Council Region Five Under 20 Youth Games by the city; a development that not only puts Bulawayo on the map but also brings a lot of economic activities.
The Government will renovate stadia, hospitals and all other necessary entities the same way they did in Victoria Falls when they hosted the UNWTO General Assembly. Given the importance of the two to Bulawayo, it becomes important for residents to be well prepared so that the benefits that come with such are well enjoyed by them. It is my thinking that the construction of such a huge state-of-the-art facility whose pictorials can easily compete with those of Qatar 2022 World Cup model stadia is a clear indicator of big things that await the City of Kings and so the Queens should also start to smile.
For the Queens and Kings to smile, they should both ensure that they get a fair share of the hunt. Now that the hunt is here they must show their aptitude by getting a lion’s share to ensure there is joy and happiness in the city. But that happiness and joy cannot just come; they come with a lot of thinking and a lot of pro-active approaches. There is a need to graduate from what has become the traditional norm of not taking the bull by its horns and allowing some people to harvest from our fields. These major developmental projects are also coming at the crucial time when government is speaking of declaring Bulawayo a special economic zone which will enable substantial business transactions to be carried out without taxation, among other incentives.
What should be realised by residents is that the Egodini project obviously comes with many jobs, both skilled and unskilled, and all these should come to the people of Bulawayo. The Egodini project also comes with lots of subcontracting of ancillary companies, for example those to do with plumbing, electrical installations, tiling, bricklaying, carpentry, excavation, security, food and all sorts of entrepreneurship associated with construction.
Over and above all, there are many casual jobs that are associated with the construction industry. All these jobs should unreservedly be given to the people of Bulawayo in their different and ethnic diversity. This town and the region have enough bricklayers, building assistants, architects, electricians and all sorts of skills required to start the building from scratch to the end.
Yet at the same time residents should bear in mind that all these jobs will not be delivered to their houses in Magwegwe, Emganwini, Tshabalala or wherever they live. There must be a way in which people have to be pro-active. This means making an early start to prepare how to benefit from these opportunities. Do they not say the early bird catches the worm?
Beyond the construction activity, there is a need for residents to prepare for the most important part which is the economic produce of these. Residents should realise that construction of such a state-of-the-art facility comes with many opportunities and therefore the people of Bulawayo should be on high alert to be the ones who get these contracts so that the economic produce of the facilities become beneficial to all. The facility comes with new restaurants, new luggage rooms, airtime vending machines, book shops, supermarkets and all sorts of ancillary services which can change lives.
Priority of who gets these should be by virtue of being umuntu wakoBulawayo period. Banks would have to support such initiatives of ensuring that Bulawayo becomes the one benefiting from its resources. In addition council should also put in place a more organised system of tolling the vendors and the buses so that revenue is well managed.
Also providing an opportunity for economic activities are the Youth Games. The staging of Youth Games can be viewed as providing a window of opportunity for some economic activity in the city as well. The games will provide a huge source of energetic and vibrant young people who are desirous of adventure and this will promote tourism. The games also have an element of construction because the home to the athletes will be Nust and a complex to accommodate 4,000 athletes will be built there and later donated for resident students.
This will be welcome as students at Nust have often fallen prey to unscrupulous landlords who charge them exorbitant rentals. So just like the Egodini project the construction activities should be done by the people of Bulawayo. There is also a need to ensure that the improvements that come with the facilities be spearheaded by the people of the city.
During the games the people of Bulawayo need to ensure that their commerce is lucrative and they make maximum proceeds from the games.
The games will also put Bulawayo on the international map. At the level of the leadership of the town, it is important for there to be greater cooperation so that the whole event succeeds. This means that the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Bulawayo, Cde Eunice Moyo, the Mayor, the councillors, and MPs should work together with a common purpose. They should put politics aside and give development a chance so that Bulawayo benefits from these events and activities. At a national level the Minister for Sport, Arts and Culture, Cde Andrew Langa needs to also ensure that the city gets the best in preparation for the event. On the other side regarding the construction of the Egodini facility, while it is not a government project per se the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Development, Cde Obert Mpofu should also play a critical role in making sure the project becomes a success.
Bulawayo people need to have a more organised approach to these issues so that they benefit. If they wait for tomorrow that tomorrow may not come. The time to start moving is now.
- Patience Manzezulu Malaba is a civic society activist and an undergraduate student in development studies at Lupane State University. Contact: [email protected]
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