Zimpapers Logo

Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
Masvingo City Council plans to engage Government to find a lasting solution to a raging dispute between the City Fathers and residents over the continued closure of a street leading to KwaVaMuzenda Heritage site in the city’s oldest suburb of Mucheke A.

Council last year closed part of Zimuto Street in Mucheke to secure the heritage site that is home to various artefacts and two huts belonging to the late Vice President and national hero Cde Simon Muzenda. The site was opened to celebrate the late VP’s life and is a designated tourism site. Residents of Mucheke have been fiercely resisting the partial closure of Zimuto Street demanding that council remove the blockade to allow free movement.

Mayor Councillor Hubert Fidze yesterday said council wanted the dispute to be addressed once and for all.

“Residents who live on Zimuto Street in Mucheke A are adamant that the decision to close the road should be reversed, however, the closure of the road is meant to protect buildings and artifacts found at the site,” said Clr Fidze.

“As council, we have resolved to take the matter to Government for help to find a permanent solution. We thought the heritage site promoted community tourism, which has potential to eventually improve Masvingo City’s oldest suburb of Mucheke A.’’ Councillor Fidze said Masvingo City was duty-bound to honour its luminaries who contributed to the development of the country’s oldest town to what it is today.

The late VP Muzenda, said the Mayor, was one such icon deserving to be honoured.

“Residents should appreciate the new development (opening of heritage site) and take it as an “honour’’ to have the home of one of the province’s and country’s gallant fighters in the commonage,” he said.

The heritage site, which comprises two grass-thatched huts and another one with zinc roofing, is also home to various artifacts showing how the late VP lived particularly during the war of liberation.

KwaVaMuzenda Heritage Site was established in 2016 by Friends of Joshua Nkomo Trust in conjunction with Great Zimbabwe University’s School of Heritage Studies.

It was officially opened on the sidelines of the Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference that was held in the country’s oldest town. At that time residents of Mucheke threatened to boycott paying tariffs to council over the partial road blockade, which they alleged was stifling their free movement.