It was back in 1964 when two boreholes were sunk in the now Harare Gardens and these last gave water in 1997. Since then, there hasn’t been any functional borehole in the garden but lo and behold, all this has changed with the establishment of the New Theatre in the Park.
Yes, the proprietors of Theatre in The Park, through a grant from the Australian Embassy, sunk a borehole in the garden that has become a watering hole for many folks who love to chill in the park.
The borehole has also become an oasis to those staying in the Avenues especially at weekends when water supply is cutoff due to the unending repairs at Morton Jeffery Water Works.
On Tuesday, the Australian Ambassador, Suzzane McCourt handed over this borehole and refurbished ablution facilities to the City of Harare at a ceremony held at the Theatre.
“We take pride in such initiatives where people help us in achieving our set targets,” said Mayor of Harare, Bernard Manyenyeni whilst speaking at the ceremony. “I am certain that with this type of support we will be a world class city by the year 2025.”
“We are just coming from declaring the end of a typhoid outbreak that affected the city since January. The addition of these facilities will go a long way in making sure that such outbreaks do not occur again.
“The borehole will go a long way in alleviating water shortages in the park,” he added.
The ablution facilities will be available to theatre patrons for free while the general public will pay a small fee to access them.
“We are really excited to be partnering with this great initiative that not only uplifts the standard of theatre in the country but also affects the entire community that surrounds it,” said Australian Ambassador, Suzzane McCourt.
“This is a space that will assist young people to express them freely and we will do our best to keep supporting them to realise their dreams,” she added.
Through this grant from the Australian embassy, the Theatre proprietors also managed to get a fence around the space and pavements constructed.
