President gets an appreciation of Zim’s railway system

Oliver Kazunga, Senior Reporter
President Mnangagwa yesterday visited the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Museum at the Bulawayo Railway Station to get an appreciation of the country’s railway system.

The museum’s oldest exhibits date back to 1897 and include Cecil John Rhodes’ personal coach. With an impressive collection of steam locomotives from the turn of the 20th century, the museum gives a glimpse into how the railways developed over the years.

The President, in Bulawayo since Thursday, was also shown a replica of a locomotive he and a colleague blew up during the liberation struggle.

His visit also saw him officially launching the NRZ Museum as a National Tourism Development Site.

Before touring the museum, President Mnangagwa was taken for a briefing, which was attended by Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Mangaliso Ndlovu, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Joel Biggie Matiza, National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe executive director Dr Godfrey Mahachi, NRZ board and management and the NRZ Museum curator Mr Gordon Murray.

After the briefing, the President toured Rhodes’ personal railway coach which carried his remains from South Africa to Bulawayo for burial in the Matopo Hills following his death in 1902.

Speaking after the tour, the President said:

“The actual issue why I needed to come here, I wanted to understand the spirit, the environment that existed in 1893-96 when Rhodes was commuting between Cape Town (South Africa) and Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and the coach he was using, the facilities he had created for himself and some of his colleagues, the four musketeers, he used to move around with.”

President Mnangagwa said the other reason for his visit to the museum was to see the coach that was also used by King George VI from the United Kingdom.

He said:
“The other issue I was also told that there was a coach here at the Bulawayo Railway Museum which was dedicated to King George VI from the United Kingdom, the father to the current Queen.

“The coach is here, but they put sanctions on us. So, I have seen the coach which King George VI used to come here and use together with his family including Queen Elizabeth.

“The pictures are here, the utensils they used for dinner, lunch and for breakfast all these things are here.”

He said Zimbabwe has looked after all of the things for nearly 100 years and thus one would expect that there should be “excellent” relations between Zimbabwe and the erstwhile colonisers.

“That history is preserved and one would expect that there should be excellent relations between us (Zimbabwe) and those who came after King George VI,” said President Mnangagwa.

The President also commended Minister Matiza, NRZ board chair Advocate Martin Dinha and Mr Murray for keeping a replica of a locomotive that he blew up during the liberation struggle.

“I have also seen, and this is a plus to Minister Matiza, Dinha and of course the curator here, a replica of the locomotive which me and my colleague blew up, the picture is here and a replica has been assembled here, that I didn’t know.

“What I cannot say which is in my mind, is that we have certain things, which I wanted to do. But I will only do them after I have discovered what happened during that time, so that every aspect of history must be in its correct place,” he said, amid thunderous applause from the floor.

The NRZ Museum was established in 1972. It houses several exhibitions on the history of the railway system in Zimbabwe. It houses, among others, the first steam locomotive to arrive in the country in 1899.

Mr Murray has co-authored two books on the history of the railways in Zimbabwe.

His first book, Our Railway Heritage focuses on the history of the exhibits at the Bulawayo Railway Museum.

The publication contains vital information relating to the different historical locomotives at the museum and the mileage travelled, including coaches and other relics of the NRZ.

His second book, Iron, Spine and Ribs which he co-authored with Rob Burrett and Robin Taylor aptly captures the history of the foundation of the railway of Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The book was published in 2015.

His narrative captures the very first moment when the first steam locomotive known as Jack Tar arrived in the country in 1899. The locomotive was built by Manning, Wardle and Company of England in 1896.

Jack Tar, including the second oldest locomotive, The Lawley, a narrow-gauge engine built in 1897, are kept at the museum.

Mutare was the country’s first railway headquarters before it moved to Bulawayo in 1910.

President Mnangagwa underscored the need to redefine Zimbabwe’s history so that factual information is bestowed upon the present generation.

“I will elaborate on another day where I will implement what I have in mind because from what l’ve seen today, a few things which the current generation know are not correct,” he said.

“I believe that I need another occasion when actually I’ll be ready to unfold and unpack what is necessary to be done so that generations to come will access correct history about the past and about our country and about our heroes and heroines who are gone before us.” — @okazunga