Golden moments ahead for Nust

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Nust is set to benefit from the construction of the new state-of-the-art hostels for the regional Zone V1 Youth Games to be held in Bulawayo next year.

THE National University of Science and Technology (Nust) is set to benefit from the construction of the new state-of-the-art hostels for the regional Zone V1 Youth Games to be held in Bulawayo next year.

DIVINE DUBE Own correspondent

The institution has been facing accommodation woes with less than a third of its students living on campus and the rest renting flats in town and rooms in surrounding neighbourhoods where they live in squalid condition, as they are forced to share in large numbers to save on costs.

However, Nust’s accommodation blues are set to end as the government is set to refurbish the hostels ahead of the tournament.

Speaking at an all-stakeholders meeting for sportspersons at the Large City Hall in Bulawayo yesterday, Sport, Arts and Culture minister Andrew Langa said Nust will be one of the beneficiaries of the hosting of the games through the refurbishments.

Langa said the government had resolved to construct hostels that will accommodate 4 000 delegates at the institution adding that hostels will then be used by students thereafter.

“The government has resolved to construct more hostels at Nust to accommodate delegates for the youth games,” Langa said.

“Nust currently has only the capacity to accommodate a paltry 150 students, but after the Youth Games, the institution will be able to accommodate 4 000 students in their hostels,” he said to the applause from the delegates.

He said Nust would be used as a village for the tournament.

Langa also revealed that President Robert Mugabe had insisted that the tournament be hosted by Bulawayo against a motion that it be held in Harare.

“Bulawayo was approved by the Cabinet to host the games. President Mugabe insisted that games be hosted in Bulawayo when everyone was saying they should be hosted in Harare because of better facilities.

“He (Mugabe) maintained if there were no facilities in Bulawayo, they must be constructed.”

Langa said Bulawayo should benefit immensely from the tournament saying facilities should not be a white elephant after the games.”