The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
MBARE, as a suburb, is now more than 90 years old yet it still teems with life.
But what exactly is alluring about Mbare?
It was built in the 1930s as a segregated township to create accommodation for predominantly black labourers and their families during the colonial era.
With time, it has deteriorated in terms of infrastructure, including roads; and services, among other things.
However, what is fascinating about Mbare is that it is still full of life, be they vendors going about their business or the public frequenting the place for one reason or the other.
Without doubt, a lot of business takes place in the area, with thousands, if not millions, of dollars exchanging hands on a daily basis. Actually, most suburbs in the country have public transport that ply direct routes to the oldest suburb.
Unsurprisingly, navigating Siyaso, the Mbare Bus Terminus or the market area is a nightmare, never mind the day.
Similarly, several celebrities call the place home and are proud of the suburb despite its current state.
They grew up in Mbare and made a prosperous life elsewhere but still find it hard to resist the suburb. Today, they regularly travel from elsewhere just to spend time there.
“I feel at home each time I visit this place (Mbare). My home is in Greendale but, in reality, I spend most of my free time here. This is where most of the guys I grew up with stay. I come here to braai and socialise while we have drinks,” said one businessman who opted to remain anonymous.
Mbare is home to Dynamos Football Club, one of the country’s most popular teams.
Also, history has it that the infamous sellout from the liberation struggle, Morrison Nyathi, was captured in Mbare, close to where Club Matute (now Origins) is located.
It can be argued that the suburb is the country’s midwife as the first independence celebrations were held there. In attendance were high-profile characters, among them the late reggae icon, Bob Marley; Prince Charles; Lord Soames; and Indian politician and stateswoman Indira Gandhi.
With such a rich history, it becomes apparent why Government is keen on sprucing up the suburb, under the ongoing urban regeneration exercise.
Running under the National Housing Guarantee Fund, the housing strategy will integrate the refurbishment and rehabilitation of old residential suburbs countrywide.
Ministry of Local Government and Public Works communications and advocacy director Mr Gabriel Masvora said major cities countrywide have been mandated with the renewal of old suburbs.
Suburbs such as Makokoba, Mabutweni and Iminyela in Bulawayo are targeted. Other locations targeted include Mbare (Harare), Mucheke (Masvingo), Mbizo (Kwekwe), Rimuka (Kadoma) and Sakubva (Mutare).
“Under the Government-initiated urban regeneration exercise, it is the responsibility of councils to refurbish and rehabilitate old residential suburbs. In the case of Mbare, Harare City Council can give you the full story,” said Mr Masvora in an interview with The Sunday Mail Society.
Last week, The Sunday Mail Society visited Mbare and witnessed the deplorable conditions there.
Trouble at home
For close to 20 years, Mrs Naume Nyemba, of Nenyere Flats in Mbare, and her three grown-up children, have been sharing a single room with another family.
A cardboard and an old piece of curtain cloth serves as the demarcation line that separates the two families.
In the past six months, the Nyemba family has been troubled by the behaviour of one of the other family’s sons, who abuses drugs and substances.
“One of the children of the family we share the room with is violent and foul-mouthed. He does not sleep for days on end and he makes a lot of noise during odd hours,” Mrs Nyemba complained.
Attempts to have the drug addict evicted from the room hit a brick wall as he ganged up with his friends and threatened the family.
The Nyemba family is not alone in this predicament.
In Mbare, thousands of families share single rooms in these Harare City Council-owned hostels.
There is no privacy in the communal toilets. The living conditions in the hostels are deplorable, with filth and raw sewage being permanent features.
For decades, Mbare has been burdened by several challenges such as filth, high crime rate, drug abuse, violence and prostitution.
The majority of the residents, among them John Matongo, of Matapi Flats, are seemingly accustomed to these living conditions.
“I inherited this room from my father, who has since passed away. I grew up here and this is the kind of life that we are used to,” said Matongo, as he munched on a roasted maize cob while ignoring a foul stench from a nearby toilet.
It is, however, not Matongo alone, who has seemingly become used to these conditions.
Eva Nyamuza, who sells charcoal on Jack Bakasa Street in the Majubheki section of Mbare, went about her business despite the strong smell wafting from a rubbish heap adjacent to her workstation.
“I am used to this smell. As you can see, we can laugh, talk and eat as if we are seated in a nice restaurant. We were forced to adapt, otherwise we will starve,” Nyamuza said.
Across Nyamuza’s vending site, youngboys could be seen playing football barefooted in an area where raw sewage was flowing.
As it was the case with Nyamuza, the boys are used to playing soccer in such an environment.
Illegal roadside canteens and food vendors sell food in places where raw sewage will be freely flowing. Just behind Matererini flats, at the entrance to a parking area near OK Supermarket, a man grills gizzards, chicken necks and livers as customers patiently wait for their orders.
Hustle
The streets of Mbare, especially those near Mbare Musika, are always overcrowded, with vendors and pushcart operators jostling for space to manoeuvre. The often rowdy pushcart operators carry groceries and vegetables for the public at a fee.
Nelson Dzungu, a vendor who resides in Kuwadzana, says finding a way through Mbare Musika has always been a nightmare.
“Mbare residents walk right in the middle of the road and the pushcart operators are rude and violent. They do not give way to vehicles and this results in chaos,” Dzungu said.
The residents are also forced to find their way through muddied and potholed roads. Some enterprising individuals are erecting illegal structures in which they put pool tables. These have conveniently become illegal public drinking spots.
Renewal
Carter House, which used to offer accommodation services, is now a pale shadow of its former self. The facility’s windows are broken and the building is in dire need of a new coat of paint.
Recently, the Harare City Council said plans are underway for the rehabilitation of the house, which will be turned into a maternity facility.
The Mai Misodzi Hall is also in a state of dilapidation and needs urgent rehabilitation.
Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende said the Mbare urban renewal project, which was launched amid pomp and fanfare in 2005, is still ongoing.
He said council is seeking investors for smooth flow of the project, which will encompass, among other projects, the ambitious Shawasha shopping mall and the Mukuvisi projects.
Mr Ruwende said council terminated a contract it had awarded to a partner who failed to deliver.
“The company we had contracted failed to develop within a reasonable period, resulting in the cancellation of the contract. We are looking for more investors for the various projects,” Mr Ruwende said.
The Shawasha shopping mall will be built in the open space situated at the corner of Remembrance Drive and Cripps Road. Key features of the complex include vending stalls, a modern shopping mall and sports facilities.
The project will also include the refurbishment of 58 Mbare hostels and the construction of new apartments that will cater for about 30 000 people at places such as the Tsiga open space and an open space near Mbare flats.
Music
In an effort to spruce up Mbare’s image, some musicians are recording an album whose purpose is to promote the suburb.
The image-building initiative, which has been dubbed “MbareSingz4Eva”, will see top-level artistes from the suburb recording a musical album that will be accompanied by videos.
Martin Chemhere, an arts and media consultant behind the initiative, said: “Mbare township’s image has always been bad. This initiative seeks to change this perspective and influence people to talk positively about the township.”
Among the leading young musicians who hail from Mbare are Seh Calaz, DJ Fantan, Nutty O, Killer T, Patience Musa, Kinna and Dobba Don.
. . . . History of suburb
BEFORE the coming of white settlers, the area where Mbare stands today was occupied by Chief Mbari and his subjects.
According to historical accounts, Mbari’s royal court was located in what is now called the Kopje.
The suburb was the first settlement to be built by the Pioneer Column when it arrived in the then Rhodesia in 1907.
Originally known as Harari, Mbare was built for black migrant workers. It is located on the southern part of the city, about five kilometres outside the central business district.
A total of 14 blocks of apartments were initially built to house bachelors who came to Harare (then Salisbury) to find employment.
Mbare is home to the Mbare Musika, the largest farm produce market in Zimbabwe.
It is also home to Rufaro Stadium, where Jamaican musician Bob Marley played live on stage during the 1980 independence celebrations.
Dynamos Football Club, one of the country’s popular teams, traces its roots to Mbare.
Stodart Hall, Mai Musodzi Hall and Carter House are among the landmark buildings in the suburb.
Siyaso, an informal industrial hub, is also located in Mbare.
Chimurenga musician Thomas Mapfumo at one time lived in the suburb.
