Vocational Centre Demolished to Make Way for Tuckshops, Sparking Outrage

Residents of Mbare have condemned the demolition of the township’s only vocational training centre to make way for 144 tuckshops, calling it a betrayal of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 and a blow to youth empowerment.

For decades, the centre trained carpenters, mechanics and artisans who went on to support families and communities.

Today, it lies in ruins, replaced by rows of concrete cubicles that locals fear will benefit only a handful of individuals.

Ward 4 Councillor Bonface Maburutse defended the development, insisting the project was “above board” and that training programmes would continue at Budiriro Vocational Training Centre.

But residents were 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 80-year-old woman who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals warned: “Without training, our children will end up in drugs instead of becoming part of the skilled workforce Zimbabwe needs.”

The controversy has been fueled by claims that Cllr Maburutse was promised 25 of the new tuckshops while students who resisted the demolition were assaulted by gangs linked to land barons.

“Why destroy a centre in Mbare to build one in Budiriro?” asked Anyways Nyekete, a former electronics trainee.

He added “There are so many open spaces, yet they targeted the only place that was giving our youths a future.”

Others pointed to the practical burdens. “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 trainee.

Community leaders and analysts warn the closure comes at a dangerous time, with drug and substance abuse rising sharply in Mbare.

Many say the demolition is not just a local dispute, but a direct challenge to Vision 2030 – and to the survival of an entire generation.