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Bulawayo’s main colonial-era street names were officially changed by the Names (Alteration) Act of 1983. Abercorn Street became Jason Moyo Street, Jameson Street became Herbert Chitepo Street and Grey Street became part of Robert Mugabe Way. The city’s numbered avenues, from 1st to 23rd Avenue, keep their numbers. A government attempt in 2020 to rename more Bulawayo roads, including several avenues, was set aside by the High Court in April 2021, so those names are not in force. Written by Bryan Fawcett.
Last reviewed: 21 October 2026 against the Names (Alteration) Act [Chapter 10:14] (Law Development Commission consolidation to 31 December 2016, on ZimLII), and CITE’s reporting on Statutory Instrument 167 of 2020 and the April 2021 High Court order. Full list under Sources.

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Why the names matter to visitors

Locals often still use the old names, and older maps and guidebooks show them. If a taxi driver or shopkeeper gives you directions by an old name, this table will help you find your way. See our Bulawayo guide for what to see in the city.

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Bulawayo: official old and new names

These are the Bulawayo roads listed in Part VII of the Schedule to the Names (Alteration) Act [Chapter 10:14], which commenced on 6 May 1983. Streets such as Fife Street, Fort Street and Lobengula Street, and the numbered avenues, are not in this schedule.

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Main Street

In February 2020, Bulawayo’s then mayor, Solomon Mguni, told CITE that the city council had itself renamed Main Street to Joshua Nkomo Street. The Act’s schedule does not list this change, and we have not seen the council resolution, so check the street signs. The city’s airport is officially Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport.

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Gweru: official old and new names

The same Act renamed these Gweru roads: The city itself was renamed from Gwelo to Gweru by the same Act. See our Gweru guide.

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The 2020 renaming and the court ruling

In July 2020 the Minister of Local Government, July Moyo, issued Statutory Instrument 167 of 2020, the Names (Alteration) (Amendment of Schedule) Notice, 2020. It renamed roads in several cities, including Bulawayo. Bulawayo City Council had passed its own resolution on new names in February 2020, and objected that the government’s list was different from the council’s proposals. The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) challenged the notice in the High Court. In April 2021 Justice Max Takuva set aside SI 167/20 as it applied to Bulawayo, declaring it of no legal effect in Bulawayo because the minister had not consulted the council, as section 4(2) of the Act requires (as reported by CITE, 15 April 2021). The names that SI 167/20 proposed for Bulawayo therefore do not apply. According to CITE, they included: We list these only so you recognise them if you see them in older news reports or online maps.
What we couldn’t verify: we did not find a later official notice changing Bulawayo’s street names after the 2021 ruling, or an official list of the names in Bulawayo City Council’s February 2020 resolution. If you have a council notice or gazette reference, please contact us.

Bulawayo

Gweru

Colonial buildings

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Sources

Last modified on October 21, 2026