BULAWAYO residents are up in arms with power utility Zesa’s plans to demolish some of the old cooling towers at the Bulawayo Power Station.
The iconic power station historically got the second capital city the nickname “Kontuthu Ziyathunqa” (a place of smoke) from the first day the power station was switched on in 1955.
The station has through the years developed into being one of the proud heritage sites of the city. Residents of the city identify so much with the towers that even after it was decommissioned and stopped producing the smoke, they have been calling on the city to preserve the towers.
The residents of Bulawayo have been lobbying for the towers to be turned into a tourism site as was done in South Africa to the Orlando Towers which have been through the years called twins to the Bulawayo towers as they were built and commissioned exactly at the same time.
Originally the site of a coal fired power station, the Orlando Towers have become one of the most distinctive landmarks in the neighbourhood of Soweto and the site of the world’s first bungee jump between two cooling towers, as well as other thrilling adventure sports such as abseiling and SCAD (suspended catch air device) falling.
As with the Bulawayo Power Station, construction of the Orlando Power Station began in 1935 and was only completed in 1955, due to delays caused by the Second World War. After 56 years of service, the power station was shut down in 1998 and was transformed into an entertainment and business centre of huge repute in 2008.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association co-ordinator Emmanuel Ndlovu said nothing should be done without the involvement and approval of the council and residents, who were the erstwhile owners of the power station.
“There is a legal battle for the ownership of that power station, with ZPC having endorsed tittle deeds over it. We want that mess sorted first. We demand a permanent space on the bargaining table as residents,” he said.
The Bulawayo Power Station was commissioned as an undertaking by the municipality of Bulawayo.
Council spokesperson Bongiwe Ngwenya, however, said the local authority was not “aware of Zesa’s intentions as they had not been consulted on the matter”.
Historical and archaeological consultant Rob Burrett, who is also an associate researcher with the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, reiterated that the towers should be painted and transformed into a tourist attraction.
“They are an essential part of the Bulawayo landscape; they relate to the traditional name from the city (koNtuthuziyathunqa), and I really cannot see why they are being taken down. In Johannesburg, the old cooling towers have been painted and transformed into a tourist attraction. This would be significant if it were done in Bulawayo,” he said.
Zesa spokesperson Fullard Gwasira, however, said they were upgrading the cooling towers, not demolishing it, but making them big and more efficient.
“It’s not demolishing. When you say demolishing, it’s a wrong word. It’s upgrading. When you demolish one or two to make for a bigger one, that’s not demolishing. It makes way for a modern one because the generating capacity increases, then you need a bigger unit,” he said.