harare24dmin BULAWAYO — A Facebook post by Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart commenting on a fireworks display in Centenary Park has ignited sharp criticism, with some residents and activists accusing the mayor of racial insensitivity and misplaced priorities in a predominantly black city grappling with deep social and economic challenges.
In the post, Coltart said he had been advised that fireworks would be part of the switching-on of Christmas lights, adding that while he personally would have preferred no fireworks, the event had already been arranged. He then expressed concern about dogs being frightened by the noise and urged dog owners to lock up their animals.
While the post appeared innocuous on its face, it quickly drew a wave of critical responses online, with detractors questioning why the mayor chose to foreground animal welfare concerns while remaining silent on persistent human suffering in the city — including poverty, homelessness, service delivery failures and unsafe living conditions.
“This is a city where people are struggling to access clean water, decent housing and basic services,” said one Nkulumane resident. “Yet the mayor’s public concern, at a major city event, is about dogs and not about people.”
Critics argue that the post reinforces a long-standing perception among some sections of the population that Coltart, a white mayor governing a largely black city, is more attuned to causes associated with elite or Western sensibilities than to the lived realities of the black majority. On social media, some users went further, describing the remarks as emblematic of what they see as racial disconnect and selective empathy.
Political commentators caution that while concern for animal welfare is legitimate, leadership messaging in a deeply unequal society is highly symbolic. “In a context like Bulawayo’s, public communication is never neutral,” said a local governance analyst. “What a leader chooses to emphasise — and what they omit — is read politically, racially and socially.”
Others pointed to the irony that the mayor did not reference broader issues of human–animal cohabitation, such as stray dogs, unsafe living environments or the impact of noise and overcrowding on vulnerable communities. “If the concern was truly holistic, one would expect mention of both people and animals,” said a civic activist. “The silence on human welfare is what has angered many.”
Supporters of Coltart have pushed back against the accusations, arguing that the mayor’s comments were taken out of context and that concern for animals does not preclude concern for people. They note that the post addressed a specific, time-bound issue and was not intended as a comprehensive statement on city priorities.
Nonetheless, the episode has reopened uncomfortable debates about race, representation and sensitivity in Bulawayo’s local governance. For critics, the controversy is less about fireworks and dogs, and more about a perceived pattern in leadership tone that they believe fails to resonate with the daily hardships of the city’s black majority.
As the debate continues, the incident underscores the delicate terrain public officials must navigate in a society shaped by inequality and historical injustice — where even a short social media post can carry meanings far beyond its few lines of text.
