ZIM GBC NEWS
As Zimbabwe counts down to its 46th Independence Anniversary on 18 April, a bitter irony is playing out on one of Bulawayo’s busiest arteries.
While the nation prepares to honour the liberation struggle, the statue of fallen hero Dr. Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo stands silently watching over a road so ravaged by decay that it has become a symbol of neglect.
The Father of Zimbabwe, who fought tirelessly for the dream of a “new Zimbabwe,” now presides over a stretch of tarmac that has been abandoned for years. The road leading into the Central Business District (CBD)the very route thousands of commuters and motorists traverse dailyis a minefield of gaping potholes and treacherous ruts.
For the drivers who pass beneath the gaze of the late Vice President’s statue, the view is a stark contrast between revolutionary aspiration and post-independence reality.
It is embarrassing. We are looking at a man who fought for this country, but the road he is facing is one of the worst in the city. You cannot tell me this is the ‘new Zimbabwe’ he wanted.
The neglect is more than an aesthetic insult; it is an economic and safety crisis. With the road serving as a primary gateway for public transport entering the CBD, congestion is rife as vehicles swerve violently to avoid deep pits. Near-miss collisions have become routine.
But for motorists, the damage goes beyond the risk of accidents. In an economy already choked by spiralling fuel prices, the last thing a driver needs is a blown tyre or a broken axle caused by unmaintained roads.
Main Road is not an isolated case. Dozens of streets across Bulawayo’s high-density and central suburbs have crumbled, with storm drains blocked and road markings faded to oblivion. The municipality cites a lack of foreign currency for asphalt and plant equipment, while critics point to decades of systemic decay.
Nkomo was not just a freedom fighter; he was a nation-builder. He believed in dignity. To have his statue look upon a road that destroys cars and endangers lives that is not dignity. It is a slow betrayal of the independence he fought for.
As the nation raises the flag on 18 April, a sombre question lingers in the air: Would Joshua Nkomo be proud?
Standing in eternal bronze, facing a broken road, the silence of the late statesman is deafening. But those who remember his firebrand speeches wonder what he would say.
The question is not just what Nkomo would say, The question is: was this independence worth fighting for, if we now choose to ignore and neglect our own city?”
As Zimbabwe celebrates, the Father of the Nation stands watch over a road that tells a story he spent a lifetime trying to prevent: one of broken promises and forgotten foundations.
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