LSU finds new home

Chronicle Reporter
LUPANE State University (LSU) has found a new home in the Belmont Industrial area in Bulawayo and has also secured some lecture rooms at a building in the city centre after it moved out of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) premises last month.
Since opening its doors to the public in 2005 LSU has been using NRZ premises in the Belmont industrial area for its lectures and its administration was at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) before moving to Pioneer House in the city centre.
In an interview yesterday, LSU acting Vice Chancellor Dr Maclean Bhala confirmed that the institution had secured two places.

“Yes we have moved some of our faculties from NRZ premises after the company’s management communicated with us that they wanted to occupy their place. We were supposed to leave NRZ premises on 1 July 2013 but they later allowed us to extend our stay to end of the month,” said Dr Bhala.

He said they have since moved to the Parkade Centre Building where they occupy the fifth and sixth floors.
“These are used by students from our Faculty of Agriculture, which has four departments. We have also secured another place at House of Kara along Birkenhead Road near Josiah Chinamano Road in Belmont industrial area which is being used by the Faculty of Humanities and Languages,” said Dr Bhala.

He said the new centres were convenient for the students who commute every day.
Dr Bhala however said the Department of Geography remains housed at the NRZ premises at Block C, which stretches to the old library.
Meanwhile, Dr Bhala said there was a need to speed up construction at the university campus in Lupane so that operations can be moved to the site.

He could not be drawn into disclosing how much the institution was paying in rentals and could also not give an update on construction progress.

“Construction is going on very well on the university site but I am not in office now to give more details. I am attending the UNWTO general assembly in Victoria Falls,” said Dr Bhala.

The university has an enrolment of about 2 000 students.