By
Ndumiso
Tshuma
Speaking
during
a
recent
full
council
meeting
at
Bulawayo
City
Hall,
Ward
5
Councillor
Dumisani
Nkomo
drew
attention
to
the
dire
condition
of
the
city’s
once-thriving
sports
and
arts
facilities.
“I
would
like
to
recommend
that
the
committee
seriously
consider
places
such
as
Bellevue
Recreational
Club,
which
is
now
a
bush,
you
can
mistake
it
for
a
snake
park.
You
can
actually
be
bitten
by
puff
adders
there
because
it’s
now
a
bush,
and
there
has
been
no
lease
there
for
over
13
years,”
said
Nkomo.
He
urged
the
council
to
fast-track
efforts
to
reclaim
and
lease
these
spaces
to
individuals
or
organisations
with
the
capacity
to
develop
them.
“I
appeal
to
the
committee
to
expedite
the
process
of
identifying
all
recreational
sites
without
valid
leases.
These
places
should
be
made
available
to
entities
capable
of
restoring
and
developing
them,”
he
added.
Nkomo
also
cited
the
Salukazi
Art
Centre
in
Njube
as
a
missed
opportunity,
blaming
rigid
council
policies
for
stalling
its
development.
“Salukazi
Art
Centre
managed
to
secure
donor
funding
for
a
perimeter
fence,
but
due
to
outdated
by-laws
and
policies,
they
were
prevented
from
proceeding.
Yet
they
had
the
resources
ready,”
he
said.
He
called
for
an
urgent
review
of
the
city’s
policies
to
make
them
more
adaptable
to
current
economic
and
social
realities.
“Our
policies
need
to
be
revisited
to
ensure
they
are
responsive
to
today’s
environment.
The
context
has
changed,
50
years
ago,
people
had
disposable
income.
Today,
many
leases
are
neglected
or
collapsing,”
Nkomo
said.
He
emphasised
the
importance
of
public-private
partnerships
as
a
solution.
“We
need
policies
that
encourage
partnerships
with
those
who
have
the
financial
means
to
invest
in
these
facilities,”
he
said.
Revitalising
recreational
centres,
Nkomo
stressed,
would
significantly
benefit
the
city’s
youth,
who
lack
access
to
proper
spaces
for
sports,
arts,
and
other
developmental
activities.
“This
would
help
our
young
people
immensely.
Currently,
they
have
no
decent
recreational
areas.
For
example,
Bellevue’s
tennis
courts
have
turned
into
‘lizard
courts’.
The
infrastructure
exists,
but
our
youth
can’t
enjoy
these
spaces.
I
urge
the
committee
to
revise
the
policies
and
incentivise
corporate
partners
willing
to
engage
in
social
responsibility
projects,”
he
said.
Nkomo
also
criticised
leaseholders
who
have
neglected
their
obligations.
“We
must
end
the
practice
of
awarding
99-year
leases
to
individuals
only
interested
in
running
bars,
without
offering
anything
for
the
arts,
sports,
or
youth
development
key
pillars
of
our
economy,”
he
warned.
Ward
22
Councillor
Bruce
Moyo
echoed
these
concerns,
highlighting
the
wider
social
impact
of
neglected
recreational
spaces
on
the
city’s
youth.
“On
behalf
of
my
generation,
one
that
is
grappling
with
drug
abuse,
substance
addiction,
and
crime
in
Bulawayo,
I
stress
that
our
young
people
are
idle
because
there
are
no
jobs,
no
opportunities,
and
no
spaces
for
meaningful
engagement,”
said
Moyo.
He
urged
the
council
to
allocate
land
for
recreational
purposes
in
every
ward.
“This
committee
must
work
closely
with
the
town
planning
department
to
ensure
that
each
ward
has
land
earmarked
for
recreational
centres.
Such
spaces
would
offer
young
people
the
chance
to
develop
their
talents
and
skills,”
Moyo
said.
He
warned
that
without
immediate
action,
Bulawayo
would
continue
to
suffer
the
consequences
of
youth
unemployment
and
social
decay.
“As
local
government
leaders,
if
we
fail
to
adopt
effective
measures
to
get
our
youth
off
the
streets
and
away
from
drugs
and
crime,
we
will
continue
to
suffer
the
fallout
from
problems
we
have
the
power
to
address,”
he
said.