Own Correspondent|The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has NOT at all stripped Leopold Takawira of the honour of having one of its major roads named after him as reported in some media.

There has been claims going around that the City Council has renamed Leopold Takawira Street to King Mzilikazi Road with some claiming its been changed to 7th Avenue.

Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni clarified the renaming of Leopold Takawira Avenue, saying part of the street retains the name.

“For Leopold Takawira it is just the section from Samuel Parirenyatwa Street to Umguza River Bridge along Gwanda Road (renamed King Mzilikazi Rd), it is not the entire road, the other section before Samuel Parirenyatwa remains as Leopold Takawira Avenue,” he said.

The wide road leading to South Africa past the Centenary Park and Ascot mansions – originally known by its colonial name, Selbourne Avenue – was renamed Leopold Takawira Avenue, after the former deputy president of ZANU who rebelled from Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU in 1963, during the early years of colonialism resistance.

Bulawayo councillors also resolved that all Avenues in the CBD will maintain their numbering format from 1^st Avenue to 15^th Avenue, defying a government directive last year to rename the city’s busiest road, 6^th Avenue, to Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Way.

The road links the city centre to the Western suburbs.

Defying the government directive, the councillors have, instead, resolved to rename George Avenue – which runs from Harare Road to Old Gwanda Road past Holiday Inn hotel – after Mnangagwa.