Mtapa Hall undergoing major renovation ahead of Independence Day celebrations

THE iconic Mtapa Hall in Gweru is undergoing major renovation ahead of the 45th Independence Day celebrations, which will be hosted in Gokwe North, Midlands Province.

This historic hall holds significant importance as it was the venue where Zanu held its first congress in 1964 and resolved to take up arms against the white settler regime.

In preparation for the celebrations, Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Owen Ncube, yesterday visited Mtapa Hall to monitor the renovation progress.

The Independence Day celebrations are expected to bring substantial infrastructural development to the marginalised communities, aligning with the Government’s commitment to “leaving no one and no place behind”.

The hall is located in Mtapa, Gweru’s oldest suburb with a population of more than 12 500 people. It is at this iconic hall where the congress resolved to wage an armed struggle against the settler regime, which had not only deprived the majority blacks of their rights but had taken over their land and confined them to barren and unproductive land.

It was at the congress where the late Ndabaningi Sithole was elected president and the late former President Cde Robert Mugabe was elected secretary general.

President Mnangagwa was among the many who also attended the congress. Zanu was banned later that year by Ian Smith’s government.

It is after that congress that President Mnangagwa and his colleagues popularly known as the “Crocodile Gang” embarked on a number of sabotage missions including the bombing of a goods train in Masvingo in a bold act of defiance against the oppressive Rhodesian regime.

The congress was Zanu’s first after its formation in August 1963 and the party was confronted with the unenviable task of waging an armed struggle.

Addressing Zanu-PF members and Government officials during the tour of the facility, Minister Ncube said he came to assess progress as the site holds significance in the fight against colonialism.

“Accordingly, the City of Gweru with the support of National Museums and Monuments, Zinwa, and Public Works was tasked to lead in refurbishing Mtapa Hall including lighting, painting, grass cutting, access roads and installation of a solarised borehole in preparation for the 2025 Independence Day celebrations, ” he said.

Minister Ncube said the Independence Day celebrations will be held in Nembudziya area in Gokwe North District.
As part of the celebrations, he said Mtapa Hall is one of the iconic structures in the province that will have a facelift.
“As you may be aware, Mtapa Hall hosted the first Zanu Congress in 1964 that provided the roadmap towards the liberation of our motherland. President Mnangagwa also attended this crucial conference, which illustrates the indelible revolutionary footprint the event imparted to the delegates,” he said.

Minister Ncube said the Midlands Province greatly appreciates the Second Republic’s people-centric leadership under President Mnangagwa who has directed that national events be decentralised to provinces.

In this regard, the minister said the Midlands Province is geared up and is leaving no stone unturned as they prepare for a memorable event targeting over 100 000 people.

“I urge all stakeholders to work in line with the Second Republic’s whole of Government, society and economy approach and move with speed in the implementation of all assigned tasks,” he said.

Minister Ncube said the culture of speedy service delivery, implementation of visible and tangible projects remains a legacy and backbone of the Second Republic.
He said President Mnangagwa is the torch bearer towards the attainment of an upper middle-income society by 2030.