Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says it is prioritising the rehabilitation and renovation of youth centres, community halls and cultural hubs across the city as part of efforts to support young people and strengthen the creative sector.
Speaking during the 2026 Bulawayo Day celebrations, Director of Housing and Community Services Dictor Khumalo said community facilities play a critical role in nurturing talent, preserving culture and creating spaces where communities can interact and grow.
“In Housing and Community Services, when we talk about housing and community services, we are not just talking about brick and mortar. Over and above that, we are talking about the soul of the city. We are talking about the spaces where people meet, where children play, where Ubuntu is practised and where culture is born,” said Khumalo.
He said Bulawayo’s identity is rooted in its culture and people, making it important to invest in facilities that support community development and artistic expression.
“Bulawayo is not just a geographical location. It is a living, breathing cultural masterpiece. Our theme this year is Building Bridges, Preserving Connections. The theme calls us to look both forward and backwards.”
Khumalo said the city was committed to preserving its cultural heritage while creating opportunities for future generations.
“Today, as we transition into the Bulawayo Arts Festival, we are here to intentionally keep that spotlight burning bright on our creative sector. From the historic streets of Makokoba and Mzilikazi to the contemporary digital spaces where our youth are rewriting the future of art, Bulawayo’s heartbeat is rhythmic and unstoppable.”
He paid tribute to the city’s artists and creatives for helping unite communities and keep Bulawayo’s stories alive.
“To our creatives who are here and those representing us globally, you turn our stories when the world tries to forget them. You bring colour to the streets, healing to our hearts and economic vitality to our communities.”
Khumalo said the local authority was already working to improve community infrastructure and provide safe spaces where young people can develop their talents.
“As a City Council, we remain deeply committed to supporting you. Through our department, we continue to revitalize and maintain our community halls, youth centres and cultural hubs so that the next generation of talent has a safe, supportive space to grow, experiment and thrive.”
He said the rehabilitation of facilities had already begun, citing improvements at Stanley Hall and Mabuthweni Hall.
“We have started. You saw how Stanley Hall is, Mabuthweni Hall; we want to refurbish all of them.”
Khumalo said future council budgets would continue to prioritise community infrastructure.
“Our budgets and future budgets will focus on the rehabilitation, renovation of those centres as well as striving to put forward strategies that will enable us to construct such facilities in new suburbs where they are lacking. So we are very much conscious of the backlog of this critical infrastructure which helps us to instil culture in our children as they grow,” he said.
Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart echoed the call for investment in youth facilities, saying community centres and youth hubs are essential for the growth of the city’s creative economy.
“So we remain resolute in our commitment to providing the enabling environment for this creative economy to thrive. And we hope to be bridging the gap between raw talent and sustainable livelihoods by keeping our community centres, our youth hubs and heritage sites vibrant, functional and accessible,” said Coltart.
The mayor acknowledged that many youth centres across the city require urgent attention.
“And Director Khumalo, we have much work to do. Many of our youth centres are not what they should be and fellow councillors, we have much work to do to restore the vitality and the vigour of those youth centres,” said Coltart.
The remarks come as Bulawayo continues to position itself as Zimbabwe’s cultural capital, with city authorities seeking to strengthen community facilities and create opportunities for young people involved in the arts, culture and creative industries.
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