CITY OF BULAWAYO
KwaBulawayo! Zimbabwe’s second largest city is a peaceful, elegant place that boasts of wide tree-lined boulevards and an air of shabby gentility. The city has an impressive mixture of modern and Victorian themed architecture, which gives it a unique character and a lovely historical feel. It inhabits people that are not only a famously beautiful bunch but are also typically graceful and kind to one another –it is the capital of Ubuntu.
Situated in the heart of Matabeleland, in the South Western part of the country, Bulawayo is mostly inhabited by the Ndebele ethnic people most of whom can trace their origins to the migrations of Mzilikazi from Zululand in the early 1820s to the present day Bulawayo in the 1830s. Today, however, she boasts of a more multi-ethnic and multi-cultural demographic.
Geographically, Bulawayo is strategically located as a link between South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and the rest of the country and further afield countries like Angola, D.R.C and Namibia. It is endowed with roads, rail and air links to the region and important tourist resorts. The city has a most established railway system in the country and is home to the headquarters of the National Railways of Zimbabwe
Its hinterland -in places like Khami Ruins, Matopo Hills (where King Mzilikazi and Cecil John Rhodes are buried), Matopo National Park and Old Bulawayo- is the depository of the nation’s history, struggle and pride.
HISTORY
Kontuthu Ziyathunqa, Kwamfaz utshay’ indoda- City of Kings and Queens…these are just some of the colloquial names you are likely to hear from proud Bulawayo natives, in celebration of the city’s history.
The city can only be properly understood in reference to its history, as the epicentre of the Ndebele Kingdom, organised through the famous conquest wars of Mzilikazi after he settled in present Zimbabwe in the 1830s. Using the militarist structure of the mighty Zulu Kingdom where they had escaped the famous Shaka Zulu’s reign of terror, Mzilikazi built a similar strong army of highly disciplined warriors who fought on foot and were armed with the Assegai- a short spear with a large iron blade and a shield.
King Mzilikazi attacked and captured the women and children of the surrounding tribes of the Shona, Sotho and other tribal elements that he had found settled in present-day Zimbabwe to build the Ndebele Kingdom. As a result of this piece of history, some still perceive the Ndebele as a potentially dangerous group of people (ridiculous, I know).
The City of Bulawayo was founded by Lobengula, the son of King Mzilikazi Matshobana. The name Bulawayo comes from the isiNdebele word meaning ‘place of slaughter.’ This is in recognition of the armed struggle that broke out over who should succeed the throne after Mzilikazi’s death. Having escaped death himself from his rivals, Lobengula thus named the city KwaBulawayo, to mean ‘where he, the prince, is being killed.’
The Kraal at Bulawayo (the present day City Hall) served as the Kingdom’s political centre. The social structure was such that the state was stratified into three groups, the AbeZansi, Abenhla, lamaHole.
- AbeZansi – The direct descendants of Mzilikazi and the warriors who had left the Zulu Kingdom with Mzilikazi were the Mzilikazi;
- AbeNhla – where the Sotho and Tswana that had been captured along the way to present day Zimbabwe.
- AmaHole– where those that were found already settled in Zimbabwe like the Shona and Tonga.
In modern-day Ndebele society, these groups are no longer emphasized due to westernisation. However, Zansi surnames still carry a lot of weight, especially in marriage issues.
THE BRITISH INVASION
Bulawayo’s mineral resources drew the interests of the British in the 1960s. They disguised their invasion in the form of Cecil John Rhodes and the Chattered Company who befriending the King and set up Christian churches so as to disarm the suspicions of the Ndebele. Through trickery and betrayal by Cecil John Rhodes (who had become a trusted friend), King Lobengula was made to sign over the land to the British.
Matebele Wars
In 1893, the British South Africa Company troops invaded Bulawayo in what was known as the Matebele war. Refusing to face defeat, King Lobengula set fire to the capital and fled. It has never been proven how he died. On the 4th of November 1893, the British tied a tattered Union Jack Flag on a tree branch on the side of Bulawayo drive to symbolise their success in conquering Matebeleland. This marked the conclusion of the Matabele war.
The Siege
In March 1896, the Second Matebele War broke out. A laager was established by British to defend themselves. After their experience with British Maxim guns in the first Matebele War, the Ndebele were hesitant to attack, such that no significant attack was recorded. The settlers, therefore, called for relief forces who came and attacked the Ndebele and rescued surviving settlers. The Ndebele made a critical error by neglecting to cut off telegraph lines connecting Bulawayo and Mafikeng. As a result, the besieged settlers were able to call for help from Salisbury, Fort Victoria (present-day Harare and Masvingo respectively), Kimberly and Mafikeng they would not have otherwise had. When the relief forces arrived in late May 1896, the siege was broken and the Ndebele retreated to the Matopo hills. In October 1896, the Ndebele finally laid down their arms.
ECONOMY
During Lobengula’s time, the economy of Bulawayo was dependent upon cattle ranching and therefore wealth was measured by the number of cattle in your kraal. A large number of these cattle were attained during conquests in surrounding tribes.
In present-day Bulawayo, due to its well-established road and railway system and how it links the whole country to the Southern African region, Bulawayo naturally became the commercial capital of Zimbabwe. The first train arrived in Bulawayo in 1897. Bulawayo boasted of a vibrant and diverse industrial base and comprehensive engineering industry, including radio manufacturing; tyre and rubber production; hide, leather and meat processing, a giant Cold Storage Facility and electrical power generation station. This earned her the nickname ‘Kontuthu Ziyathunqa,’ a Ndebele phrase for – ‘a place that continually exudes smoke.’
Due to lack of funding and mismanagement, and the recession in Zimbabwe, the rail structure has since collapsed. As a result, most industries have since closed down or moved to Harare thereby crippling the economy of Bulawayo. The industries have been left to deteriorate, further alienating investors from operating in the city. However, the city still contains much of what remains of Zimbabwe’s heavy industry and food processing capability.
Bulawayo has seen a wide decline in living conditions and widespread unemployment. Inhabitants blame the decline on the Zimbabwean Government during the ‘Mugabe rule’ which is said to have side-lined the city in resource allocation. The city has also seen a significant decline in Ndebele people as they are migrating and tracing their routes back to South Africa or abroad to find greener pastures. Since the resignation of Mugabe, the city now has hope that they will be able to access funding through the Government as well as foreign investors to revive the industries.
Infrastructure
In addition to the infrastructure mentioned earlier, Bulawayo has two major government hospitals, two private ones and a number of clinics dotted around the city especially in the western suburbs. The city has three universities with one of them specializing in science and technology, the other in agriculture and humanities and another in humanities and theology. The city is also home to the regionally recognized School of Mines which serves the SADC region in training in geology, mining exploration, mining and metallurgy. There is also a well-established polytechnic, and two teachers colleges in the city. Bulawayo city is home to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair where the country showcases its industries to the world on an annual basis, the National History Museum, National Art Gallery and the Academy of Music among other important landmarks.
On the recreation and sporting front, the city boasts of a number of stadia and facilities for diverse sporting disciplines like soccer, hockey, rugby, tennis, swimming etc.
The City is served by international standard airports, called The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International and the Victoria Falls International to the north-west in the heart of the tourism hub.
Governance
The city of Bulawayo retains a high reputation for good governance which works in partnership with businesses and residents. The council has managed to stand out as the leading municipality in Zimbabwe in terms of service delivery through various successful campaigns i.e. keepbyoclean on social media. As a result, Bulawayo is now widely known as the cleanest city in Zimbabwe.
Bulawayo like most cities and towns in the city is facing water challenges but these have been described as manageable. Townships have boreholes and wells where the residents access water during these water shortages. The Bulawayo City Council was the first in Southern Rhodesia to establish home ownership schemes for Africans. It was the first to embark on a planned programme of water supply; the first to provide educational facilities before there was any national policy or the subject in tertiary institutions. They also led in having a progressive low-cost housing programme and a comprehensive social development blueprint.
CLIMATE
Bulawayo enjoys an agreeable, subtropical climate due to its relatively high altitude. It has a mean annual temperature of 19.16oc. It has 3 broad seasons: a dry, cool winter (May-August); hot dry summer (late August to early November) and a warm rainy season (early November to April). The city’s annual rainfall is 594mm, however being close to the Kalahari Desert, the city is prone to droughts and rainfall tends to vary sharply from one year to the next.
