The Midlands State University (MSU) has backtracked on plans to construct a medical school at the corner of Harare Road and Cecil Avenue next to Glengarry suburb in Bulawayo.
MSU had earlier this year made an application to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) requesting land to establish the third medical school in the country.
A recent council report notes that the university has since backtracked and instead said it will just be establishing a university campus not the initial medical school. Read the report:
“The director of housing and community services (Mr Dictor Khumalo) reported that council on 4 March 2020 had resolved to sell Stand Number 19828 BT, as depicted on TPB 823 measuring 3.45 hectares in extent to Midlands State University for the establishment of a Medical school and ancillary use only at a selling price of $1 987 500 plus an additional sum of $288 187.50 being 14.5 percent value added tax. The purchase price had been paid in full.
The applicant later on had advised the department that their wish was to construct a University campus and not a Medical school as previously reported. The engineering services department had no town planning objections to the change of use from a Medical school to a University campus as it fell under the same use group as a Medical school.
MSU would become the fourth university to have a campus in Bulawayo others being the National University of Science and Technology, Lupane State University and the Catholic University of Zimbabwe.
More: The Sunday News