The Sunday Mail
Bulawayo Bureau
The Bulawayo City Council will spend US$1 million on sprucing up the city ahead of its historic hosting of this year’s main Independence Day celebrations.
On Monday next week, the city will host the first-ever Independence Day celebrations outside Harare, with the main commemorations slated for Barbourfields Stadium.
A week later, Bulawayo will cap the month by hosting the country’s premier trade event, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will officially open the ZITF on April 29.
According to a recent Bulawayo City Council report, a budget of US$1 million has been drawn up to prepare the city for the Independence Day celebrations.
“Council and the Government through the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, the Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution have been preparing for the celebrations through the interdepartmental committee and provincial preparatory committee,” reads the council report.
“The City of Bulawayo interdepartmental committee has outlined the activities that need to be attended to, towards the successful hosting of the celebrations.
“A budget has been drawn up of US$1 028 714 to facilitate the titivation of the city in preparation for the Independence Day celebrations.
“These funds were not budgeted for as there was no anticipation that the city will play host to the celebrations.
“There will be need for the virementation of finance from funded budget lines.”
Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni told our Bulawayo Bureau that preparations were at an advanced stage.
“Remember this is the first time in 42 years that Bulawayo is hosting the country’s independence celebrations,” he said.
“We feel honoured as a city and this event like any other State occasion that has been hosted in the city before always creates a hive of activity that speak to the growth of our gross domestic product.
“We don’t have the funding as of now, but council has worked out a budget of just over US$1 million for the purposes of expenditure to be incurred on the independence preparations which funding must go towards titivating the city.
“Since this is a State occasion, council in its last sitting directed the town clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, to present this budget to Government.”
He said business activity in the city was on the up.
“Our hotels are already filling up. This will obviously have a net effect on our arts, heritage and culture consumption by visitors.
“We, however, still need to work on our roads, public lighting and general outlook of the city.”
