Declaration of National Monument The St Mary's Basilica Monument
St Mary's Cathedral in Bulawayo, at 108A Simon Muzenda Avenue, is declared a National Monument — the building is now protected under the National Museums and Monuments Act.
The Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage has declared St Mary's Cathedral in Bulawayo a National Monument. The building is identified as standing at 108A Simon Muzenda Avenue (formerly 9th Avenue), Lobengula Street, on 1:50 000 map sheet 2028 B1.
Declaration brings the site under the protective regime of the National Museums and Monuments Act. In practice that means alterations, demolition, excavation or removal of material at a declared monument require the approval of National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe; the notice itself does not restate those controls, which live in the Act.
The notice states no commencement date, no fees and no penalties of its own.
One wrinkle for anyone searching the record: the instrument is catalogued as "The St Mary's Basilica Monument" while the operative text declares "St Mary's Cathedral". They are the same Bulawayo building, but the two names appear in different places in the gazette. The running head on the page also reads "S.I. 111 of 2024" although the instrument is numbered 122 of 2024.
What changed
- St Mary's Cathedral, 108A Simon Muzenda Avenue, Bulawayo, is declared a National Monument under the National Museums and Monuments Act
Who this affects
- the Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo as custodian of the cathedral
- National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe
- Bulawayo City Council planning and building control
- contractors and architects working on the building
- heritage tourism operators in Bulawayo
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.