Published: 3 hours ago

Outrage is mounting in Mbare after the demolition of the township's only vocational training centre to make way for 144 tuckshops, a move residents say betrays President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Vision 2030 and undermines youth empowerment.

For decades, the centre equipped young people with skills in carpentry, mechanics and electronics, producing artisans who supported families and contributed to community development. Today, its classrooms lie in ruins, replaced by rows of concrete cubicles that residents fear will benefit only a handful of politically connected individuals.

Ward 4 Councillor Bonface Maburutse defended the project, insisting it was "above board" and that training programmes would continue at Budiriro Vocational Training Centre. But locals remain unconvinced.

"We are failing to understand why they have to demolish a school, replace it with tuckshops, and then promise to build one in Budiriro. How can Vision 2030 succeed if vocational centres that build skills are destroyed?" said Angela, a former graduate who studied bookbinding.

An elderly resident warned that without training, young people would be left vulnerable.

"Our children will end up in drugs instead of becoming part of the skilled workforce Zimbabwe needs," she said.

The dispute has been further inflamed by allegations that Cllr Maburutse was promised 25 of the new tuckshops, while students who resisted the demolition were allegedly assaulted by gangs linked to land barons.

"Why destroy a centre in Mbare to build one in Budiriro? There are so many open spaces, yet they targeted the only place that was giving our youths a future," said former trainee Anyways Nyekete.

Others highlighted the practical hardships.

"How can poor families send their children to Budiriro every day? These buildings must be stopped. We want our centre back," said Olembe, another former student.

Community leaders and analysts warn the closure comes at a dangerous time, with drug and substance abuse already rising sharply in Mbare. For many, the demolition is not just a local dispute but a direct challenge to the country's vision of becoming an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
- online