Land barons have moved in on Mbare’s only vocational training centre, demolishing it to pave the way for 144 tuckshops — a move residents say robs the community of vital youth empowerment opportunities and undermines national development efforts.
For decades, the centre produced carpenters, mechanics and artisans who went on to earn a living and uplift their families. Today it lies in ruins, replaced by small concrete cubicles that many fear will benefit only a few individuals.
Contacted for comment, Ward 4 Councillor Bonface Maburutse said the construction was “above board” and that training would continue at Budiriro Vocational Training Centre.
But residents argue the explanation does not add up.
“We are failing to understand why they have to demolish a school, replace it with tuckshops and then promise to construct another one in Budiriro,” said Angela, a former graduate who studied book binding at the centre.
She added: “How can the country succeed if vocational centres that build skills are destroyed?”
An 80-year-old woman, who declined to be named for fear of victimisation, echoed the concern: “Without training, our children will end up on drugs instead of becoming part of the skilled workforce Zimbabwe needs.”
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The controversy has been deepened by allegations that Cllr Maburutse was promised 25 of the new tuckshops, while students who opposed the demolition were allegedly assaulted by gangs linked to land barons.
Anyways Nyekete, who studied electronics at the demolished centre, questioned the priorities.
“Why destroy a centre in Mbare to build one in Budiriro? Why not put the tuckshops there instead? Our sewer system is already overwhelmed. There are so many open spaces, yet they targeted the only place that was giving our youths a future.”
Another former trainee, who identified himself as Olembe, expressed the same frustration.
“Harare City Fathers never think of us here. How can poor families send their children to Budiriro every day? These buildings must be stopped. We want our centre back.”
He added: “How can we build the future when youth training hubs are being destroyed like this?”
With drug and substance abuse rising sharply in Mbare, observers say the demolition of the training centre is more than a local dispute — it is a direct blow to an entire generation struggling for survival.
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