via Zanu PF seeks to rename Victoria Falls December 17, 2013 by John Nyashanu and Bernard Mpofu NewsDay
THE mighty Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is set to be renamed alongside several other institutions, following a weekend Zanu PF resolution to have them named after the country’s Chimurenga heroes and freedom fighters.
National parks at the premier tourist resort are Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park on the Zambian side and Victoria Falls National Park on the Zimbabwean side.
However, next to the falls on the southern bank is the Zambezi National Park, extending 40km west along the river.
The resolution was made by Zanu PF’s committee on sports, culture, religion and liberation war heritage at the Zanu PF annual conference which ended in Chinhoyi on Saturday.
Committee chairman Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo said it did not make sense for colonial names to remain in place in an independent Zimbabwe.
“Institutions bearing colonial names must be changed and be given indigenous names . . . school syllabuses must also change. We should teach our children about Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi, General (Josiah Magama) Tongogara and other gallant fighters of our liberation struggle,” Chombo said.
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda said there was no going back on the resolution.
“We still have institutions like Allan Wilson School, what an insult considering what that man did to our country. David Livingstone was not the first person to see the Victoria Falls, they (the falls) must be rebranded Mosi-Oa-Tunya. We have soldiers living at KG (King George) VI (Barracks).
“How can we have our barracks continue to be named after a foreign king?” Sibanda queried.
Sibanda also rubbished possibilities that the move would impact negatively on tourists for sites like Victoria Falls, visited by around 30 000 people every year.
“People are not visiting (Queen) Victoria, but the falls. If they want to see the legacy of Queen Victoria, her grave is there in England and they are free to do so. Very soon they would be landing at Robert Mugabe International Airport,” the firebrand war veterans’ leader quipped.
Some of the institutions still recognised by their colonial names include Prince Edward School in Harare, Allan Wilson High School in Harare (named after a brave colonial soldier), Queen Elizabeth High School in Harare,Victoria High School in Masvingo (named after British Queen Victoria), David Livingstone Primary School in Harare, Churchill Boys High School in Harare (named after former British Premier Winston Churchill), Cecil John Rhodes School in Gweru (named after colonial master Cecil John Rhodes), KG VI Barracks (named after King George the 6th), Cecil Kop, Rhodes Nyanga National Park, Courtney Selous Primary School (named after famous white hunter, Frederick Courtney Selous).
Just after independence, Zimbabwe changed the names of major roads throughout the country, replacing colonial ones with those of liberation war fighters.
COMMENTS
They continue to fire the gun into their feet.
Utter nonsense. What worth are the falls if they no longer attract tourists. You don’t attract people to something they don’t know. People know the Victoria Falls period. There is no amount of advertising that can do away with that name. Mugabes judges wear those funny red wigs a British custom. He even has a Rolls Royce and he opens parliament in the same fashion like the British. Our Chiefs still wear those silly metal hats that Smith gave them. Why won’t you deal with those and afterwards make sure that Zimbabwe has enough electricity and water, proper salaries before ruining something that has been putting some few cents into our treasury.MAFUZA!!!
Well said man.They are more British than the British. It’s a shame that they continue to destroy. Tongogara and Nkomo are turning in their graves.
I don’t see anything wrong in renaming these places and institutions with relevant names to Zimbabwe. Its however shocking that Chombo does know that Zimbabwean kids already learn about Nehanda, Kaguvi and Chimurenga. It will be stupidity to stop teaching colonisation to kids because its part of the history of Africa. What Chombo should be saying is post independent history should be included in the history syllabus such as Operation Murambatsvina, Hondoyeminda etc and the impact of these to the nation & day to day life of Zimbos
Clemence I respect your opinion but Victoria falls is part of our history and the only reason they would want to change the name 33 years later is to get back at the British who they would like to be close to. Think about the British. They still acknowledge Guy Fawkes Day and we all know who he was.
hahaha wow this just gets more interesting by the day… what would you expect from men who believe a n’anga can make diesel flow from rock?
Renaming the falls doesn’t put food on the table-Where are your priorities? A good way to distract attention away from the real failures of the day.
They can call them chinotimba falls.hunzvi national park.mujuru barracks. Kasukuvere university.gezi airport…whatever. When zanu is in the dustbin we will just revert to intelligent names again.
The big spending tourists will however continue going to the zambian side as long as zanupf is joking around
They could write their new names on their foreskins.
What does Zambia think about this? Would they support something called Mugabe Falls? Or Mujuru Falls? I doubt it. ZANU-PF can officially change the name of the falls, but common people, especially tour operators will continue to call it Victoria Falls.
DL, most countries have moved on from these trivial issues to concentrate on more important issues like job creation. Zambia still has that town called Livingstone and South Africa never got renamed and I am sure Mugabe and his gang would have renamed it on the first instance.
The dinosaur leaders in Zimbabwe are all about the past and never the future. Look ahead and tell us where the jobs are going to come from is the message we should be telling Mugabe.
I am not surprised by this. This is Zanu PF way of diverting attention from the real things.
How will renaming places help in reviving the economy which is one thing that needs real attention?
This will in fact cost money in printing new stationery, sign boards etc when that money could have been better used by cash starved hospitals or equipping schools that are now well behind regional standards.
This is the problem of being ruled by a people who are out of touch with reality.
People want jobs, people want to be able to withdraw their salaries from the bank, people want to have electricity 24/7 and people want to have access to clean water and have Internet access in their homes like the rest of the world.
You can even rename places like Mbare to its proper name Mbari but that will not solve the crisis the country is facing.
Its high time ZPF came down its high horse and interact with the real people and know what people want.
and so Mugabe and jabulani should go back to wearing skins and live in mud huts and give up cars if they hate everything colonial. the people are starving and banks have no money yet they spend time thinking of names. The stupidity worsens as their waist lines and bank accounts grow.
Nxaaaa nonsense,wasting state resources kuita conference for 3 days just to come out with useless ideas. Why are running away from reality. Talk about the economy which is deteriorating in yo hands mbiti imi
Plus that area of vic falls if there is a name change avoid shona or ndebele names cause it belongs to tongaz&nambya who should have a say in name change.mbuya nehanda,sekuru kaguvi or are other names which have been used before should not be used again
What a stupid bunc of preschoolers! When they are past we will just call it Vic Falls again, so do not change maps or directories as it will not be too long now.
This clearly shows that our leaders have nothing to offer in order to revive our economy. They have completely run out of ideas.The next thing people with English names are going to forced to change their names to take chimurenga names.Starting from the president. Operation chinja zita is coming from their next meeting
Start first by renaming the town where the Falls is located. Then, perhaps, re-name the town’s landmark Hotel. Let’s see how many will be interested to visit Bob-ville and stay at the Grace-land Hotel. After that, perhaps, seek to re-name the world heritage site…perhaps, ZANU-PF Falls. Alternatively, pray that ZANU-PF falls and we can move away from this nonsense.
Arume akuru kushaya zve kutaura. Sort the economy first then rename even yourselves. Edward is a British name, Gabs is a British one too. So Edward Chombo should renamed Gumiremiseve or Musorowegomo. Lots of indigenous names. In fact maybe as a matter policy we should ban British names and replace with Chinese. Cry the beloved clown country. Spend hours talking rubbish, varume nevakadzi vakuru.
Good ideas again, but while at it lets stop Rhodes Trust scholarships as well.
So there you have it. The goon show at it gain. After two days of national ZPF conference at huge expense to the Zimbabwean nation to deliberate what should be the very serious problems facing Zimbabwe, the best they can come up is renaming Victoria Falls.
Vladnovsky is right when he says what do expect from people who believe that diesel flows from rocks- kinda says it all!!
Renaming does not stop the population and world using the former name.Indeed using the former name can cock a snook at the ruling party. Leningrad has reverted to its former name,St.Petersburg. Stalingrad held a plebiscite and by popular vote changed to Volgograd rather than back to its pre-communist one. Arriving at Moscow Airport,in 1998, I handed the taxi driver the address of the Government Department I was to visit. He was foxed and had to phone for directions, as soon as he was told the pre1919 name of the place, still in use by everybody except the Government, he knew exactly where to take me.
God help us!!
Millions live on the edge of poverty and they nit pick about names which will cost millions. Where did these guys get their degrees from?????
Once again a brilliant plan to improve the economy! But why stop there? While they’re at it let’s ban all relics of colonialism so our people are truly free: schools, hospitals, electricity, the written word….
…and those ridiculously Western white weddings
And what a Nasty Practical Jokes for fun or revenge against sanctions. Ko Mzembi aivepi vanhu vachihumana kudero? Honayi totungamirirwa nanaChombo vakakoniwa kutungamirira mhuri yake. Akarambwa nemukadzi. Hahaha !!
Robert Gabriel(mugabe), Ignatius(chomboro),Nathan(shamuyarira),Herbert (chitepo),and many others-please lets change these colonial names they make Zanu pf sick.Maybe replace them with Chao, chi, hou, hia, mao etc
The madness continues.Truely the people of Zimbabwe.Next week a group of Zimbaweans is going to apply for a march to parliament , to ask the election promises.They promised a lot.Only to start putting energy in stupid things.Names leave a legacy, bad or good.If ZANU PF is saying those names are reminders of oppression, it is ZANU PF which is oppressive.People are hungry, 85% unemployment and you shout name change.Do you people of ZANU have a programme of action or you just know of elections?
Futher still,names like Churchill, Victoria High , Prince Edward are entitled to funds from the trust funds of their namesakes.In UK there is a Churchill foundation, it donates to all institutions affiliated to Winston Churchill’s legacy.I myself do not remember any wrong thing done by the Quen and Churchill in Zimbabwe.Its a pity Zimbabwe have extra baggage in the name of Jabulani Sibanda.He is such a fool that he cant even look his children in the face
Let the oldboys of Churchill , old students of Victoria vote.Thats democracy.Im sure , it will be a no vote to utter rubbish.Whoever is proposing this must go and work inhis constituency and leave petty issues.School governing boards ae there and should they go to courts, ZANU PF has no money and a sober judge will throw away such rubbish
RENAME THE US$ WHILE YOU ARE AT IT !!!!! FOOLS
Vakomana these guys never stop shooting. They met to discuss on how to impliment their manifesto which swept them to power and all they could think of was to indegenise, empower,develop and create employment by changing the name of the great falls. Surely they are close to falling. Ko Grace achandzi ani? Ziyabheda mpela.
The saddest part is that they were shouting about all the vindictive name changes in 1980. They have been too busy filling up pockets and overseas bank accounts to get around to it. No doubt they will be pressurising foreign owned companies to pay for the exercise, and offer a stay of execution in return.
Spending $300million only in 2days to discuss on very trivial issues which by no means will bring any food on the table. That money was enough to pay teachers’ salaries & bonuses but you publicly said zpf is more important than the government. You have colonial names yourselves, indiginise your them first. Oooh! dont colonised our harare int. airport by renaming it robert gabriel mugabe.
Of all your civil servants, why are you selectively treating them? Typical “Animal Farm” scenario of an nation where:
i) Napoleon is always right.
ii) Some animals(people) are more equal than others.
The armed forces were given their bonuses as a way of greasing their palms for what they did on 31 July. Your manifesto, where are the bling bling that you were promising us, the jobs, the good living, the revival of the economy, the country’s cash liquidity crisis, the fight against corruption, etc??? When is all this will come to pass? Instead we are experiencing the oposite of your promises, companies are closing down, people are starving, corruption has set a world record.
So, you have the guts for 4000 people to squander $300million in 2days discussing changing of names??? Guys be serius, since you hate the british that much, WHY DO YOU SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE ANYWAY???
Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Ignatius Chombo, Joseph Chinotimba, Jonathan Moyo, just to name, but a few. Inga mazita evarungu nhai varume. If you are damn serious change your names first. Munyadzise varungu. 3 days indaba kunoita discuss such stupid things. The economy is in free fall, indigenous banks are collapsing, unemployment is rising, there is a liquidity crisis, industries are closing down, water and electricity shortages, low salaries etc. Kwava kuti nhai nhai ngatichinjei Vic Falls tiiti Mbuya neHanda. Zvitota zvevanhu
The penny has finally dropped. Colonial names should have been changed at independence. Driving through Bulawayo and seeing streets named after English towns always struck me as being crazy. And why isn’t Shona and Ndebele used on road signs as for example Welsh is used on signs in Wales ? But maybe even painting them at all seems beyond the capabilities of a Zanu PF government.
Sibanda is also an ass leaker ya mashona, these people expressly put it that they want syllabuses changed so that shona history is taught and there is no mention of King Tshaka, Mzilikazi, Joshua Nkomo, Basopo Moyo, Sydney Malunga, Cain Nkala, Mthandazo ndema Ngwenya to mention a few.
Shame lafa elihle, yekelani madoda amashona abulalane odwa, akusindaba yethu leyi.
This is not new wena Mdidi. Almost all ex ZAPU Matland people in ZANU PF are the same. They will always sing louder for their supper because they never came into ZANU PF on equal terms. They were bulldozed into joining as part of the 1987 Gucrawundie Unity agreement. Because the other side always treats them as highly suspect, they have to continue crying more than the bereaved.Its a miserable life indeed.
Its almost the same case with the Manyikas – non of them in that party will ever raise a finger about the plunder of the Diamonds in their province in favour of Harare, at the expense of their own people and region. They are so damn scared of being accused of bapanduki/dissidents, or trying to divide the unity of the *Sh*ona people!!
If only it were as easy to change the mugabe government (if it can be called a government) as it is a name then Zimbabwe would be back at the top of the pile and not remain at the bottom.
There’s nothing with renaming vic falls.coz that wont stop the water frm falling
Typical example of fiddling while the country burns!! What good does this do for the people who are suffering? From an economic point of view changing the name is as good as giving Zambia the exclusive rights to market the Victoria Falls & to realise all the benefits for themselves.
The Victoria falls is a Zimbabwean national heritage whose name must reflect that. Changing of the colonial name to its origins is the best xmass present the people of Zimbabwe will cherish for generations to come.It is only a British citizen who can be hurt by this patriotic decision. After all, which country on this earth would promote other nations at its own peril.
History and the past events that have gone cannot be changed,
why try and erase what was?
Its only a fool who thinks a historical wrong can not be corrected.
Only to satisfy ZANU-PF egos… spending time, effort, and money on stuff that doesn’t matter to people who are going hungry. Mugabe and ZANU-PF cares absolutely nothing about the people… only their own wealth and position. Even the chiefs are sell-outs.
Sibanda is a war veteran just like I was a party to the Rhodes expedition. He’s about as worthless as any other ZANU-PF mouthpiece. Truth is not on his lips, because his heart does not entertain righteousness.
These Zanu imbeciles think that by changing a historic name they can in fact change the past. These same Zanu simpletons even believed that refined diesel could pour out of solid granite. Zimbabwe is doomed to absolute destruction under the Zanu regime. Luck you’re gonna need it.
Much ado about nothing and think of it Chombo is the person making these stupid suggestions.
ZANU PF are a bunch of thieving idiots. They want to erase the history of that country and teach the youth a bunch of lies that have no truth or bearing to history. The fools have so badly mismanaged and distroyed that country that they are on the verge of financial collapse again. They talk about sovereignty. They no not what that even means. You cannot be a sovereign country while trading in the currency of another country. One that the cretins constantly insult. Do they know what it costs to change name of world renown places? It would certainly be impossible to match the damage they have inflicted on Zimbabwe. A bunch straight out of a mental asylum would certainly have done a better job than Mugabe and his gang.
Its good if they can be called Zimbabwe Falls. They were there way before these liberation heroes were born so giving the name mugabe Falls is just but aborting our history and common sense. Victoria Falls is just as bad as calling then Rekai Tangwena Falls or Joshua Nkomo Falls. Its an issue of national interest and should be treated as such.
changing the name wont revive the economy.
Thank you very much Phiri. What people want at the moment is not changing names of buildings and well known landscapes in Zimbabwe. How can people waste money gathering to talk about changing names when civil servants and other workers need their salaries to feed their families? These people are rotten to the core and do not care about the poor at all. The truth is they have reached a dead end in as far as the economy is concerned. What tourists come to see is not the name but the flow of water. Even if they were to be named Donkey Falls people would visit, so changing the name wont increase the number of tourists. Zanu think the British will be bothered by the change of name which I doubt,they can still call them Vic.Falls and move on after all they are thousands of miles away.
Let them change everything including the English language.I would not be surprised if they stop teaching English language in our schools.What education your children will get without English the international business and flying language?Maybe Shona will be accepted as the new international language for both business and flying.They should change the current Zimbabwe time since its based on the British GMT.Nothing British is wanted here so they must change everything with British origin.
Poor sods; easier to change names than to solve real problems, nhaika?
While Zanu is at it, will they also include who killed Tongogara? Who killed Chininga? Who killed Malunga? Who killed Nabanyana? Who killed Mahachi? Who killed more than 20 000 people in Matebeleland and the Midlands? Who killed more than 200 MDC supporters in 2008? At least the colonial history of the Victoria Falls is true. Let the teach the children the truth as well. Looks like they want to delete the truth and replace it with false accounts of zanu achievements. Let those achievemnets include the murders and farm inversions that we have come to know zanu for.
I ask who killed Tongogara and my piece is not published? What truth? All lies.
And what about changing the education system, medical facilities, poor economy, lack of water & electricity and basic human rights? Oh yeah lets focus on what is really necessary, changing the name of a world famous tourism site!
The story about renaming Vic Falls was not reported in the Herald, which could mean it is not true or those in power are not taking the suggestion seriously.
pamberi nekuita zviripo . returning our mosia a tunya . name it with our name we will keep on surpoting the good things you do zanu pf .
Why doesn’t Robert Gabriel change his name as well, to Shona names?
Why doesn’t ZANU PF walk barefoot and dispose of the Mercs they drive in? In fact lets go back and change everything to what Zim was before the whites arrived. We can all live in mud huts. Then there won’t be anything left to remind us of this filthy colonialist invasion!
replacing all colonial names with local ones which reflect our heritage is good. i support it. lets focus our comments on the subject at hand. remember other activities have to go on despite of our economic woes. zim is ok, lets not advocate for what we have no control over. learn from others who were stupid enough to allow the west to determine who their heroes are.when they removed the so called detectors that became the end of peace. iraq, egypt lybia. its always bitter before its sweet. lets focus on minimizing the period of bitterness.