Rename Bulawayo: Pathisa Nyathi

By The Standard | Apr. 4, 2016

RENOWNED historian, Pathisa Nyathi has called for the renaming of the country’s second city, Bulawayo, claiming its name was “wrong and meaningless”.

By Nqobile Bhebhe

Nyathi told city councillors in Matopo last Friday during a tour of his cultural heritage village — Amagugu International Heritage Centre about 60km out of Bulawayo along the Kezi Road — that the proper city name is KoBulawayo and not Bulawayo.

“The name Bulawayo is wrong and meaningless at the same time. I have been telling council that the proper name is KoBulawayo,” he said.

This comes as the local authority has indicated that it will soon embark on a process to correct misspellings of some of its streets and suburbs.

Recently, an MDC official, Khumbulani Maphosa, wrote to councillors, urging them to correct spelling names of some of the streets, saying most of them were “linguistically and culturally wrong”.

Maphosa said colonial names should be removed to restore honour to the Ndebele people.

Maphosa identified some of the suburbs whose names were misspelt as Mpopoma, Nketa, Makokoba, Pelandaba, Pumula, Lobengula, Kumalo, Masiyepambili and Matsheumhlope.

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Council adopted the decision to correct the names.

Meanwhile, Nyathi urged councillors to encourage primary schools to embark on cultural tours at the centre.

He said that would equip pupils, as well as teachers, with cultural practical skills.

“We have hosted pupils from government-run schools, but not from a single council school.

“I am appealing to councillors to encourage schools in their wards to tour this centre. Pupils learn about cultural artefacts in class, but they never get the chance to really see the objects they learn about, so this site is there for them. The tours would be of great benefit to the pupils”.

Councillor Gideon Mangena said the local authority would take up the challenge and facilitate the tours.