The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Reporter
PROPOSALS by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) to demolish two of the six Bulawayo power station towers have been met with a running fire of verbal criticism — a verbal tug-of-war in high offices and low social places bordering on preserving the city’s legacy and not tampering with it even at the expense of modernity.
Interesting submissions have been brought forward by a group of conservatives who argue that demolishing the towers will make the name KoNtuthuziyathunqa lose its meaning.
In most cases people just refer to this important landmark as just the Bulawayo Power Station but the towers carry a huge part of the city’s history as the name koNtuthuziyathunqa is specifically derived from the six towers at the power station.
During the peak of industries in the city, the power station was also a common feature with the smoke coming out of the towers visible kilometres away from the city — hence the befitting name KoNtuthuziyathunqa (the bellowing smoke).
These towers became a symbol of industrialisation and development in the city hence when the city’s industries began to die synonymously with the power station people were quick to use it as a symbol for de-industrialisation.
However, despite these towers having a symbolical representation in the city, they largely rose to be part of the city’s identity.
Images depicting the city would not be complete without these six towers being part of them, any visual artist wanting to portray a representation of Bulawayo would look no further than these historic towers.
A quick Google images search on Bulawayo reveals images of these smoking six towers dominating with images of the tallest building in the city- the NRZ building. In other words the six towers have become part of the imagery outlook of the city.
It is therefore not surprising that news that the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) plans to demolish two of these towers, as part of their expansion plans for the power station, have been met with opposition from residents in the city.
This has further increased the friction between residents and the power utility with the former claiming that the latter are just mere tenants at the power station as it was built by the Bulawayo City Council on behalf of residents.
Residents have further accused Zesa of being a dishonest tenant as they have reneged on paying royalties with arrears ballooning to over $100 million.
According to the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) Holding’s website the Bulawayo power station is connected to the national grid through the 11 kilo-voltage and 33 kilo-voltage systems.
“The plant was commissioned between 1947 and 1957 as an undertaking by the Municipality of Bulawayo. It joined the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority in 1987 after the amalgamation of all the Local Authority Electricity Undertakings, the Electricity Supply Commission power station at Munyati and Hwange, and the Central African Power Corporation station at Kariba.
“While Bulawayo Power Station initially had an installed capacity of 120 megawatts, a refurbishment exercise in 1999 on the ageing plant gave it a new lease of life. The station capacity is now 90 megawatts. The main materials needed for the generation of electricity are coal, water, chemicals, oil, greases and spare parts for maintenance. The station currently generates an average of 30 megawatts,” reads part of the citation.
Associate researcher with the National History Museum of Zimbabwe, who is also a historical and archaeological consultant, Mr Rob Burrett submits that every city had an identity and the power station towers had a huge bearing towards the identity of the city and the region.
“Notwithstanding the legal issue as to the right of Zesa to do this, they still haven’t paid for a BCC asset, but we stand to lose an element of our heritage. Why they are doing this is unclear as it cannot be for want of space. I know it is not all of the towers but some. What we need to understand is what for and most importantly why.
“In Johannesburg they transformed the derelict cooling towers of their urban station into a major attraction — painted and even created bungee jumping. In Australia old towers are painted across the country and are a tourism route. I am sure we have the artists here in the city that would love the opportunity.
“Let’s never forget that one of the city’s many African names, koNtuthuziyathunqa, alludes to the smoking towers of its once dominant industrial base. Can we lose this for some short term advantage to someone?” queried Mr Burrett.
Zimpapers photojournalist, Obey Sibanda said the six towers had a huge visual importance to any photojournalist as it helped depict the city and served as a historical imagery in representing the city as a whole.
“Most of us we see those towers representing the city such that we all clamour as photojournalists to get the best image of the six towers to be part of your portfolio. The image combines the historical settings of the city together with the current symbolical standing of the industries therefore you see that for us photo enthusiasts those towers really do speak to us hence I feel the power utility should not make such rushed decisions. I am sure there are ways of conserving those towers without necessarily demolishing them but I think this can be done through consultations with the aim of reaching an amicable decision,” said Sibanda.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association co-ordinator, Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu said the bottom line that had to be addressed as a matter of urgency was the ownership of the power station which would then go further to solve the matter regarding the demolition of the two towers.
“For us we are still on the ownership issue. How can they develop, refurbish or destroy something that’s not theirs and without the involvement of council and residents who are the owners of the facility? First address the ownership issue. Who really owns that power station and who endorsed the ZPC title deeds?
“In all honesty residents funds were used to build that power station, that power station has grown to become part of the city’s identity therefore I find it wrong that anyone can just come and destroy the identity of our city,” said Mr Ndlovu.
Mr Ndlovu said as residents they would adopt a wait and see attitude but would stop at nothing to protect their assets.
Just a few years back Bulawayo residents were once again up in arms with officials from Simbisa Foods — a subsidiary of Innscor — after the company renovated Haefelis, another building that was considered a historical landmark in the city.
The former Haefelis brought a nostalgic ambiance with its vintage wooden chairs and tables giving it a touch of class belonging to the old school. It was a good hangout and rendezvous for families, the young and old as they shared various confectionary delicacies from the Swiss Bakery.
After the renovations, the outlet — which was rebranded to Fife Street Complex — looks unattractive with a dull grey painting outside and a motor spares shop environment inside. Just last year Haddon and Sly supermarket, the oldest supermarket in the city — closed down for purported renovations, the shop front was demolished and it has now gone years with large corrugated iron sheets covering the front of the shop with residents already up in arms with the shop management for ruining another of the city’s landmarks.
The supermarket had over the years maintained its vintage outlook in its front elevation as a means of celebrating and maintaining the city’s history. There are a number of landmarks and historical sites and buildings in the city that tells its colourful past.
Some of these landmarks include; the City Hall Foyer along Fife Street (The Lahlamkhonto Memorial panel and the Old Well), the Shangani Battle Cenotaph along Main Street, the 1889 Public Execution Tree; Inxwala Festival Ground along Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street, the Mzilikazi Memorial Fountain, Arts and Craft Centre, Makokoba Herbal Market (Emkambo), Stanley Hall and Square, Magwegwe Water Tower, and the Bulawayo power station’s smoking six towers.
However, the power company has said the towers were now old and had structural defects and posed a danger to workers and the general public. In addition, they were no longer able to play the role they were intended for and ongoing refurbishments meant that new structures had to be put in place.
