> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.travel-info.co.zw/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Bulawayo's Renamed Streets: Old and New Names > Bulawayo's renamed streets: the official old and new names from the Names (Alteration) Act, Gweru's renamed roads, and what happened to the 2020 renaming that a court set aside. **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](/about-this-guide).** > [!NOTE] > > **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](#sources). ## 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](/destinations/bulawayo) for what to see in the city. ## 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. | Old name | New name | | - | - | | Abercorn Street | Jason Moyo Street | | Borrow Street | Samuel Parirenyatwa Street | | Grey Street / Birchenough Road / Queens Road to Airport | Robert Mugabe Way | | Jameson Street | Herbert Chitepo Street | | Johannesburg Road | Gwanda Road | | Kings Avenue | Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue | | London Road | Josiah Chinamano Road | | Mafeking Road | Plumtree Road | | Rhodes Street | George Silundika Street | | Salisbury Road | Harare Road | | Selborne Avenue | Leopold Takawira Avenue | | Wilson Street | Josiah Tongogara Street | Streets such as Fife Street, Fort Street and Lobengula Street, and the numbered avenues, are not in this schedule. ### 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. ## Gweru: official old and new names The same Act renamed these Gweru roads: | Old name | New name | | - | - | | Allan Wilson Avenue | Leopold Takawira Avenue | | Antoniadis Road | Jairos Jiri Road | | Athlone Drive | Simon Mazorodze Drive | | Ayr Road | Masotsha Ndlovu Road | | Boggie Road | Robson Manyika Road | | Danziger Road | George Silundika Road | | Devon Road | Rekayi Tangwena Road | | Elm Street | Mashonganyika Street | | King Street | Kaguvi Street | | Livingstone Avenue | Robert Mugabe Way | | Lock Avenue | Jason Moyo Avenue | | Queens Street | Mbuya Nehanda Street | | Rhodes Avenue | Josiah Tongogara Avenue | | Selous Avenue | Herbert Chitepo Avenue | | Selukwe Road | Shurugwi Road | | Somerset Road | Josiah Chinamano Road | | Umvuma Road | Mvuma Road | | Van der Molen Avenue | 18 April Avenue | The city itself was renamed from Gwelo to Gweru by the same Act. See our [Gweru guide](/destinations/gweru). ## 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: | Road | Proposed name (not in force) | | - | - | | 6th Avenue Extension | Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Way | | 12th Avenue | Joseph Msika Avenue | | Collenbrander Avenue | Lookout Masuku Avenue | | 9th Avenue | Simon Vengai Muzenda Avenue | | 4th Avenue through 7th Street to King George | Landa John Nkomo Road | | 5th Avenue | Maria Msika Avenue | | 10th Avenue | Nikita Mangena Avenue | | 3rd Avenue | Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu Avenue | | 11th Avenue | Daniel Madzimbamuto Avenue | | Fife Street through Bellevue Road to Plumtree Road | Benjamin Burombo Street | | 23rd Avenue | Jairos Jiri Avenue | | Victoria Falls Road | Mosi-oa-Tunya Road | We list these only so you recognise them if you see them in older news reports or online maps. > [!NOTE] > > **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](/contact). ## Related guides > **[Bulawayo](/destinations/bulawayo)** > **[Gweru](/destinations/gweru)** > **[Colonial buildings](/historic/colonial-buildings)** ## Sources * [Law Development Commission of Zimbabwe, via ZimLII — Names (Alteration) Act \[Chapter 10:14\], consolidated to 31 December 2016](https://zimlii.org/akn/zw/act/1983/4/eng@2016-12-31), accessed 21 October 2026 * [Veritas Zimbabwe — SI 2020-167 Names (Alteration) (Amendment of Schedule) Notice, 2020](https://www.veritaszim.net/node/4316), accessed 21 October 2026 * [Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE) — BPRA wins Bulawayo street names lawsuit](https://cite.org.zw/bpra-wins-bulawayo-street-names-lawsuit/), dated 15 April 2021 * [Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE) — Is it true that BCC has no powers to change street names?](https://cite.org.zw/is-it-true-that-bcc-has-no-powers-to-change-street-names/), dated 14 February 2020 * [The Zimbabwean (republishing The NewsHawks) — Zimbabwe citizens less willing to embrace new street names](https://www.thezimbabwean.co/2023/05/zimbabwe-citizens-less-willing-to-embrace-new-street-names/), dated May 2023 This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.