MUTARE MUSEUM – HISTORY

Article curtesy of Mutare Museum…

The history of Mutare Museum is inextricably interwoven with that of the Umtali Museum society. The society accumulated and displayed the first collections of historical and natural objects that led the municipality to provide a temporary home for the museum and that finally got Government to accept responsibility for a new permanent museum. The Umtali Museum Society came into being as a committee of the Southern Rhodesia Hunters and Game Preservation Association in October 1953, the Society being formally established in August of the following year for the purpose of inaugurating and fostering interest in the establishment of a museum in Mutare (called Umtali then).

Mutare Museum is a regional museum in concept, covering the eastern side of Zimbabwe popularly known as Manicaland albeit it specialises in Transport and Antiquities. The idea of a Museum for Mutare seems to have originated on the 22^nd of October ,1953,at an Annual General meeting of the Manicaland Branch of the Southern Rhodesia Hunters and Game preservation Association, when a subcommittee was set up to investigate the possibility of the establishment of a museum in Mutare. This subcommittee appointed Captain E.F Boultbee as the honorary Curator from which point he started collecting exhibits for the proposed museum with Sir Edgar whitehead as President of the Museum Society committee.

On the 1^st of November 1957, the Municipality of Umtali made available to the Museum Society the dining room and kitchen section of the old Silver Oaks Hostel, a wood and corrugated iron building in Victory Avenue just above the present Museum site. This gave the Society the opportunity to exhibit on a semi-permanent basis, the collections which it then possessed. However it is worth to hasten to point out that the displays at the Museum were naturally strongly influenced by the principal interests of the honorary Curator whose major contribution was the magnificent collection of pistols which he had brought out to Zimbabwe (Rhodesia then) from England. This collection was augmented by specimens obtained in Rhodesia and some valuable exhibits on loan. 

As the numbers visiting to the museum the society was hard pressed to maintain it since it had no funds for development a situation which led the Museum Society to approach the Trustees of the National Museums of Southern Rhodesia to ask if they would be prepared to take over the museum. On the 31^st August 1959, theTrustees of the National Museums formally agreed to take over Umtali Museum as the third museum under their control, having secured grants-in-aid from government and the municipality of Umtali. In accepting responsibility the Trustees recognised that the existing building was quite unsuitable for museum purposes and with the co-operation of the Umtali Museum Society, immediately took steps to launch an appeal for funds for a new museum building. In the meantime, the Trustees opened negotiations with the Municipality of Umtali for a site upon which to rebuild the museum.

The Municipality gave the land to the present museum siting and Messrs Key and Evans were appointed architects for the new museum building. On 31^st July, 1961, the Trustees approved a set of plans as submitted by the architects for the new building to an agreed expenditure of not more than £47 000 of which £5 000 was allocated for interior fittings and building operations commenced in November, 1961.The foundation stone was laid by Sir Edgar Whitehead on 7^th April, 1962 and on the 20^th of September, 1962 Sir Alfred Beit officially opened the Beit Gallery. The Beit Trust had contributed a large proportion of the finance for the construction of Mutare Museum.  The move from the old building was completed on the 11^th October, 1962.

At the time of takeover by National Museums Captain Boultbee relied heavily on help from qualified members of the museum society. In June 1961, Mr D. G. Broadley was appointed Assistant Keeper of Zoology prior to this appointment he was the Honorary Keeper of Herpetology at the national museum, Bulawayo. Initially, it was decided that the Director of Museums should act as Curator of the Museum, with overall control of administration and display, until funds were available to appoint a qualified curator. Mr D G Broadley was appointed Personal Assistant to the curator, with responsibility for the day to day administration of the Museum, in addition to detailed planning of displays in the Beit and Mezzanine galleries. Captain E. F. Boultbee, Honorary Keeper of Arms and Antiquities, continued with the planning of displays in the Boultbee (Arms and Armour), Whitehead (Archaeology and Ethnology) and Transport galleries. Displays in all galleries of the new Mutare Museum were completed in time for the official opening by Sir Alfred Beit, on 13^th September, 1964.    

DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITY AT MUTARE MUSEUM

Over the years from the day of its opening in 1964, departments at Mutare Museum have evolved with the changing times and in the pages that follow allow a glimpse behind their activities in the departments of the museum. The present day museum is constituted of sets of departments namely; Research departments and Service departments. Research departments comprise of Archaeology, Antiquities and Botany and Zoology which are complemented by Service departments comprised of Accounts, Exhibition, and Heritage Education, Human Resources, Maintenance and Marketing departments.

RESEARCH DEPARTMENTS

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY

When Mutare museum opened its doors to the public in 1964, inspection of monuments and management of collections was done by the then department of History which was under the authority of Mr. M.A Bordini who was the keeper of Antiquities. Under him a number of archaeological and ethnographic expeditions were undertaken which resulted in the collection of artifacts and objects which are now being displayed in the Beit Gallery formerly the Whitehead Gallery. The archaeology displays covers the emergence of man, Early, Middle and Later Stone Age periods. Implements of these periods are exhibited together with a reproduced rock paintings in the Eastern District. The Iron Age was also covered and a variety of copper, iron and bronze bracelets were put on display.

Some of the curatorial staff who worked in this department includes Mr J. Thokozane. Before independence, Mr. Thokozane worked as the Senior African Inspector. In 1980 when Zimbabwe gained its independence, he became the Inspector of Monuments where he continued with the inspection of sites in the eastern region.  Mr. Stephen Chirawu also contributed immensely to the growth of the department. He was the first black archaeologist to carry out intensive and systematic surveys of the archaeology of Nyanga and went on to produce a Master of Philosophy. Subsequent research of the Nyanga complex were also carried out by Robert Soper who published a book entitled ‘Ancient Fields, Settlements and Agricultural History in Zimbabwe’ in 2003 after years of research that involved curatorial staff from both the Mutare Museum and Ziwa Site Museum. On the same light, the Ziwa Site Museum was constructed in 1991 as an interpretative centre located in the heart of densely populated terraces which are a significant feature of the Nyanga complex. The setting up of this museum has ensured that the archaeological site is well conserved as routine maintenance exercises are undertaken under the guidance of the site administrator. The department has also managed to integrate communities in the management of this archaeological property over the years following the establishment of the site museum. Some of the milestone achievements to date include the setting up of bee keeping project which saw the training of community members in the making beehives for honey production. The annual Ziwa agricultural show was also initiated by the department and has been running since 2000 though on an ad-hoc basis. The show presents the communities living in and around Ziwa with an opportunity to showcase various agricultural produce that would have been harvested in the preceding farming season. The department has worked with stakeholders such as the department of AGRITEX, Environment Africa, the Nyanga District Administrator, and the Environment Management Authority in the successful hosting of this annual agricultural show. Other notable works in the department were undertaken by Dr. Paul Mupira who also researched on archaeology of Nyanga as well as Zimunya cultural landscape. Outside archaeological work, some other major researches were also carried out in Mozambique by the department during the mass reburials of liberation war fighters who were massacred at Chimoio in 1977. In 2006 an excavation of the White house which was the ZANLA administrative house at Chimoio was undertaken by Mr. Henry Chiwaura, a former curator in the department  The Murahwa cultural landscape was also researched on by members of the department together with students from the University of Zimbabwe. As a result, Plan Nyabezi, a former curator in the department did her special honors thesis and master’s degree based on research she undertook at Murahwa Hill.

Presently the department has been actively working on creating a liberation war heritage inventory in the region. Last year as part of this process, the department was involved in an exhumation exercise of mass graves belonging to liberation war fighters at Butcher Site in Rusape. The exhumations were carried out in collaboration with the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe and resulted in the reburying of the remains in individual graves at the site. The department is currently involved in the process of preparing a nomination dossier for Butcher site which will ultimately result in the site being proclaimed a national monument and thus add on to the liberation war heritage inventory. Other sites that the department has produced nomination dossiers for proclamation includes; Birchenough Bridge, Murahwa Hill, Dzapasi Assembly Point and Manjowe Rock Art site. Furthermore, work on the Ziwa nomination dossier for world heritage listing is at an advanced stage and our expectations are that the site will be listed on the World Heritage List of sites by 2015. The department is also compiling an inventory of all historic buildings in the province in order to come up with a database that would help in regulating any planned repairs on the structures.

Quarterly monument inspection exercise has also become a routine activity for the department. Sites have been inspected and their state conservation has been assessed and this has allowed the department to work on remedial measures where deterioration has been noticed to be advancing.  For example, a condition assessment survey for Matendera site was undertaken in 2010 and the department envisages carrying out a restoration exercise on some wall sections that are facing imminent collapsing. Restoration works have however been undertaken by the department at the entrance of Muchuchu site in 2011.  Utopia house, a historic building located in the city also had a structural assessment undertaken in 2013 first by the department of public works and then by a structural consultant, Mr. G White. Drawing out from the recommendations that came from these two assessments, the department is planning on a major stabilization programme of the historic building.

Maintenance of national monuments also forms another integral function of the department. The monuments in the region are routinely maintained by the custodians through slashing, clearing of grounds, pruning of overgrowing vegetation and minor stabilizations. At the Provincial Heroes Acre for example, the department has over the past years spearheaded the upgrading of graves from mound level to concrete slabs prior to the annual commemoration of the Heroes day every August. A hero’s display that is mounted by the department has also become a feature of these commemorations. The department has also mounted and assisted in the formulation of several other exhibitions at Mutare Museum. Some of the notable exhibitions that the department has been actively involved in are; the Diamond Exhibition, the Road Traffic Accidents Exhibition, the Matendera permanent pictorial exhibition, the Murahwa Hill pictorial exhibition and all the heroes pictorial and biographies exhibitions.

In terms of publications, through its curators past and present, the department has managed to extensively publish research findings in referred journals, books and newsletters. The curators have also significantly contributed to the disciplines of archaeology, heritage management and museum studies through conference, workshops and symposium presentations at national, regional and international level.

BACKGROUND OF THE BOTANY / ZOOLOGY DEPARTMENT

The sheer determination and hard work of the likes of bonafide researchers like Dr D.G Broadley ,Dr  George Arnold , Dr R .H N Smithers , Dr J.C Poynton and many others triggered the formation of the department then known as the Herpetology . It dates back to 1907 when relevant catalogues were already in place but was only confirmed in 1956. This was initiated by Dr F.P. Menell the first curator of the then Rhodesia (Later National Museums). The collections grew quite rapidly during the period 1911-1920after the appointment of George Arnold as the curator. It used to exchange materials with Durban, Transvaal and Albany Museums in order to establish a representative collection of South African species. In1920an exchange with the Museum of comparative Zoology, Harvard provided a useful collection of West African (mainly Cameroons) reptiles.

The period of 1921-1947 saw very little activities in the Herpetology collections. This might have been due to “great depreciation “of the western economy which used to fund these activities and possibly the effects of the World War II as well. Some additional South African material was obtained in exchange with the University of Stellenbosch (1930) and Port Elizabeth Museum(1940). Accessioning of the herpetological material improved following the appointment of Dr Smithers as Director of the Museum s in 1947. There was a marked increase in the flow of specimens from Northern Rhodesia(Zambia), Uganda and Tanganyika (Tanzania). They donated comprehensive collections of snakes and other reptiles during the 1950s. The formation of the Herpetological Association of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1957 stimulated interest and accessions for the year rose to nearly 600. The first major publication to image from the department was ‘The Herpetology of Southern Rhodesia Part1 – Snakes,’ which was published in 1959 in the Bulletin of the Museum of comparative Zoology, Harvard.

The National Herpetological collections were then transferred to the National Museum of Umtali to be initially housed at the Civic centre because of lack of space in the old museum building. The completion of the museum’s new building in 1962 saw the collections being moved to the museum’s new spacious premise. The new museum was then opened to the public in September 1964. The department continues to grow tremendously and has recorded approximately35000 specimens mostly from the then Rhodesia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. The Herpetology Association of Rhodesia was absorbed in the Herpetology Association of Africa with its headquarters at Umtali Museum in 1965. Members were kept abreast of the latest development in the Africa Herpetology Association by a journal which was being published twice a year.

 In 1979 the aviary was added on to the museum with Mr Ian Murray gracing the official opening on the he 9^th of July. The establishment of the aviary was made possible by the generous support and financial assistance from the Mutare Round Table no 4 and the Tony Carroll bequest donations. It was created as an extension to the live display unit which by then was only the live snakes in the Mezzanine gallery. Mr Neville Abrams donated the initial 40 birds. Its popularity even grew into the post-independence period until the early 2000’s when it started to face numerous maintenance challenges. However even in its dormant state the aviary has remained a centre of attraction with most visitors who constantly implore the museum to repair and bring back the live birds. The aviary covers 625m² on the eastern side of the museum.

A Botanist from “the National Herbarium’ ’was employed at the Mutare Museum following the influx of many plant specimens. This saw a new name to the department emerging and changing from Herpetology/ Zoology to Botany /Zoology. Today, the Zoology /Botany department covers specimens from the following areas:

1. Ornithology- the study of birds
2. Entomology – the study of insects
3. Herpetology – the study of reptiles and amphibians
4. Ichthyology- the study of fish
5. Botany – the study of plant science
6. Zoology – the scientific study of the behaviour of animals

DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES.

The main objective of the department is to promote conservation of natural flora and fauna through engaging the community.

1. a) Management of collections

The department collects preserves, documents and accession flora and fauna specimens. The specimens are then stored for future references, research and exhibition purposes. Regular check-ups of the preserved specimens are done on a weekly basis to maintain and protect them from deteriorating. Approximately 1000 specimens are pressed accessioned and preserved per annum. Wet specimens are stored and preserved in formalin solution.

Live displays are currently in the form of bees. Maintenance of the bee hive location is done regularly and small scale honey production is also being practiced.

1. b) Public service

One of the major activities of the department is to remove and relocate problem fauna from local residents (commonly snakes and bees). The commonly found snakes are the African pythons and Black mambas. Black mambas are deadly snakes that require advanced mechanisms that the museum currently has not, hence the engagement of the National parks and wildlife Authority and Mr Hitchman (a professional hunter /herpetologist by experience).

 

 

1. c) Scientific research and publications

The department also writes articles for the local newspaper as well as scientific journals for publications. For instance the following articles were written and published in the Manica post newspaper:

7 June 2013: ‘  Bata exhibition comes to Mutare Museum’ by   Ms N.Machingambi

19 March 2010: ‘Snakes you should be afraid of, part 2’

2 April 2010:   ‘Snakes you should be afraid of, part 3: How to avoid and treat snakebites’ respectively.

12 February 2010: ‘Intangible Heritage using, witchcraft as an example. ‘ . This was a collaboration of the Botany/Zoology, Archaeology and Antiquities.

The department also assists students from various institutions through providing information and research material for their various researches.

1. d) Exhibitions and road shows:

As a way of raising awareness in Natural heritage conservation to the public, exhibitions and road shows are regularly carried out. These also act a marketing platform for the Museum luring the public to visit the museum for more displays and information. In April 2013, the department curated the Bata exhibition held out at the Museum. During the Museum week in 2011a road show was conducted in Dangamvura suburb. These two events evidently stimulated the influx of the visits to the Museum during the respective years.

FUTURE PLANS

Diversify live displays and improve their display units

The main aim is to provide for the museum visitors an easily accessible and attractive display of a selection of prominent local fauna in order to:

• Assist and encourage visitors to identify the birds and snakes from the Eastern Districts of Zimbabwe, and to foster an interest in the wildlife of Zimbabwe.
• 2 Inform visitors about the habits and lives of local wild birds and snakes, to enhance their interest in their natural surroundings;
• Foster in visitors knowledge of the value of birds and snakes in Zimbabwe’s natural ecosystems, and the need to conserve populations of wild birds and snakes.

Aviary rehabilitation

This popular natural resource conservation education feature is now closed to the public as all of the birds have escaped due to numerous escape holes that have developed in the old roofing fence. Steps leading into the aviary from the balcony also need to be replaced. The existing stairway has been weakened and rendered useless by termites. Part of the future plans is to promote human and exhibits interaction. A foot path laid out in wooden pavements needs to be constructed so that visitors can walk in and around the aviary. Thus we intend to promote visitors access to the aviary by allowing groups of not more than 12 people at a time.

Snake pits constructions

Currently the snakes captured for display are housed within the Mezzaine gallery within the Museum building. As has  been pointed out by the public as well as the  to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), this kind of shelter is not conducive for the optimum survival of the snakes. For years the snakes have been periodically transferred out to busk in the sun for Vitamin D procurement. However the transferring process has been noted to cause stress to the snakes. Consequently the need for Snake pits.

Collaboration with other institutions for research purposes:

There is need to carry out scientific research that can give applicable solutions to real problems. Collaborations with other institutions will help achieve this, through diversification of ideas and sharing of advanced techniques, new technology and resources.

Public lectures

The department intends to improve information dissemination through engagement of public lectures on how to handle the live displays and live in harmony with nature. Workshops, conferences and outreach programmes are going to be held in the near future to facilitate the goal.

DEPARTMENT OF ANTIQUITIES

The Antiquities department was established in 1979, prior to this date, it began as the department of history headed by Mr. Cooke who compiled a catalogue of the Antiquities on display. The first curator in the department was Captain E.F Boultbee after it had become an independent department of the museum.Mr Boultbee was also entitled to the keeping of arms thus one of the galleries was named after him. Some of the curatorial staff who have worked in the department include Mr. A.J Pellat, Mrs M.M Hall, Mr. P.Locke, Mrs. Gillam, Mrs. Manyangadze, Mr. Chikosha, Mr. Chikoore and presently Miss C.N Zharare and Mr. C. Hanyani.

The Antiquities department was first located at the Kopje house one historic building in Mutare, where centralization of antiquities was done by all regions throughout the country’s museums. This was a temporary storage pending re-registration, documentation, and consolidation into the national Antiquities collection database. It was until 1981 when the antiquities department relocated to the current site of Mutare Museum because of the improved storage facilities.

The Antiquities department has the mandate to carry out research, collection of western and indigenous artefacts (antiques & ethnographical objects respectively), preservation and conservation of objects, accessioning of donated or received artefacts, inventory checks in all the galleries and mounting exhibitions. However some of the exhibitions that have been showcased by the department include communication samples, costume fashion trends and have once participated at the Manicaland Agricultural show, displaying mechanisms used in Agriculture i.e. ploughs, hand planter and hoes just but to mention a few. In light of such expeditions, the department under Miss C.N Zharare managed to stage a successful research-oriented diamond exhibition, which was held in conjunction with International museums day hosted by the Eastern region on 18 May 2012.

The record card system and registry has been used in the Antiquities department as a way of classifying objects. The system was adopted during 1982 after an investigation over computerized documentation system designed by the Museum Documentation Association (MDA) in England.

The department has also been given the privilege to monitor furniture at Utopia house, which belonged to Rhys Fairbridge, the surveyor of the present site of the city of Mutare. It is the department’s obligation to dust and clean the house as a way of preserving and conserving the artefacts housed. 

SERVICE DEPARTMENTS

MARKETING

The idea to have  a fully fledged marketing department was mooted at the turn of the millennium that is early 2000, with a team of consultants from the University of Zimbabwe tasked to compile a report on the development of a strategic marketing plan for the National Museums a and Monuments of Zimbabwe spearheading the exercise. A detailed report with recommendations on the best way forward was produced in late 2000, albeit the department was finally put in place in late 2010 becoming fully fledged beginning of year 2011 due to national economic viability challenges that ensued the turn of the new millennium.

Key objectives of the department are to promote heritage awareness among the public, increase visitorship, develop marketing strategies that enhance the image and brand of the museum. In an effort to meet the stated objectives the department uses various strategies such as promotional materials, print and electronic media, as well as collaborate with various stakeholders in activities related to the boosting of the museum brand. One major highlight in the history of the department was the collaboration with Buhera RDC at the annual Sanganai/Hlanganani Travel Fair where national monuments in Buhera District were showcased culminating in our joint exhibition receiving an award for the Best Publicity stand. To meet the needs of its diverse market the department has continued to emphasize the benefits already on offer and to create additional product benefits such as Heritage packaged tours.

The department continues to co-ordinate cultural activities such as the Matendera Festival in Buhera and seeks to spearhead the activities of such a magnitude at Ziwa national monument in Nyanga. Our active presence online is critical if the museum is to make reasonable visibility locally and across the globe. The focus is to develop an informative website that seeks to promote our services and products to a broader audience. To date we have establish our presence on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

HUMAN RESOURCES

When National Museums opened its doors to the public in 1964, there were fifteen people employed by the museum society though there was no Human resources department established in the museum at that time. The department was however, established in year 2000 and the officers responsible for the department called Personnel Assistants. The list below shows the first personnel in the museum at its opening and the department is currently under the care of Mr L Guzha.

NO.	JOB TITLE	NAME
1.	Display Artist	Mrs. P. Kelly
2.	Secretary	Mrs. R.E. Blake
3.	Hon. Keeper of Arms and Antiquities	Captain. E.F. Boultbee
4.	Curator and Keeper of Zoology	Mr. D.G. Broadley
5.	Technical Officer	Mr. R.E Pletts
6.	Caretaker	Mr. C.J McGrane
7.	Display	Mr. T.N Liversedge
8.	Technical Assistant	Augustine Mugetesa
9.	Technical Assistant	Leornard Mutisi
10.	Messenger	Hudson Gondo
11.	Driver	Willard Bepete
12.	Gallery Attendant	Tonnie Kayangumbo
13.	Gallery Attendant	Albert Chipepera
14.	Head Attendant	Mr. John Gondo
15.	Hon. Keeper of Geology	Dr. W. Cooper

The total number of employees from the opening year up to now has multiplied four times. This multiplication explicitly indicates the great expansion of the organization over the past 49 years. Staff turnover was and is still minimal and this also indicates that employer- employee relationship was and is still good. To date the staff complement for the region stands at 53.

The table below shows the Directors from 1964.

NAME	YEAR
Mr. D.G Broadley	1964 – 1973
Mr. H.D Jackson	1973 – 1979
Mr. P.G Locke	1979 – 1988
Mr. J.H Chipoka	1988 – 1995
Mr. P.G Locke	1996
Mr. Murambiwa	1997 – 1999
Mr. T.A Rogers	2000 – 2003
Dr. D Munyikwa	2004 – 2009
Dr. P Mupira (PhD)	2009 – PRESENT

 

EXHIBITION DEPARTMENT

The department was formed around 1957 – 1962 when the museum was still operating in a dinning room and kitchen at the old Silver Oaks Hostels just above the present museum site.   

The Municipal of Umtali made available to the museum society the dining room and kitchen section of the old Silver Oakes Hostel just above the present museum site. The building consisted of wooden and corrugated iron sheets along the V Avenue.  Conditions in the old “Silver Oaks” building, used as the Umtali museum from 1957 – 1962, were far from satisfactory. There were no adequate working facilities and the area for display was very limited. Due to lack of storage space all collections owned by the museum were on display. There was little planned arrangement of items. The displays of this museum were naturally strongly influenced by the principal interests of the Hon Curator that is Captain Boult Bee, whose major contribution was the magnificent collection of pistols which he had brought out to Rhodesia from England. The historical and ethnological material, which was a varied selection from many different parts of the world, was displayed wherever space was available. The firearms were housed in the office with just enough room left for the office desk, the library (a cupboard) had a Japanese helmet hanging on its door, the sables antelope’s label was firmly tied to one of its horns with a wasp nest displayed underneath its belly, animal skulls were neatly arranged on an old trailer and a human skull was clamped in the jaws of a lion’s head. It must be said that the old Umtali museum had plenty of character.

In 1962 the museum moved to its present modern building and only just in time because the white ants had already started on the cases themselves, having worked systematically through the timber of the building.  A full time technical officer was not appointed until 1965. Up to this time Dr Broadly and Captain Boultbee managed with a willing band of part time helpers and working on a shoestring budget, to build up a more comprehensive and attractive array of displays ready for the official opening in 1964.

HERITAGE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The advent of independence   in Zimbabwe in 1980 ushered in new and varied dispensations in the sphere of Museum educational services. Museums came to be viewed at as strategic heritage institutions that had the potential to generate and enforce national heritage issues such as:- citizenship, sovereignty, patriotism, identity, independence  and material resources.

The ministry of education however continued to second museum education officers up to the end of August 1999. Since 1980 appointments were erratic. During this period only 2 officers namely Mr. Guide Mufandauya and Mr. K Mukonavanhu were seconded to the Mutare   Museum. By then the Ministry of Education had increased interest in Museum Education by the addition of Education Officers –Professional and Administration to supervise the work of Museum Education Officers. The Museum Education Department was tasked to extend services to disadvantaged rural schools .The title of the Officers was changed to that of the Heritage Education Officer.

The duties and responsibilities had to include:-

Outreach programmes to rural schools.

Opening up the club concept to include rural schools.

Organizing edutainment activities during Museum weeks and on International Museum Day commemorations.

Facilitating educational research through either library books or internet.

.Conservation of Museum objects and monuments through cleaning and site adoptions.

Mr .K Mukonavanhu was seconded to the Museum from January 1994 to the end of August in 1999.He was incorporated into the Museum mainstream on the 1^st of September 1999.Straightaway he joined other colleagues in the Heritage Management and interpretation course organized jointly by the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Southampton – United Kingdom. The essence was to develop Heritage Education Officers into cadres that would handle heritage educational learning up to University levels.

 The Education Department at Mutare Museum now comprises of 8 tour guides, the Heritage Education Officer, the Assistant Heritage Education Officer. The First Assistant Heritage Education Officer was Mr. S, Haruzivishe who is now at Great Zimbabwe Museum as its Heritage Education Officer .He worked at the Mutare Museum from the 1^st of February 2001 to the end of April 2008.He was replaced by Mrs S.Makwena who is still at the Museum as its Assistant Heritage Education Officer.

The introduction of entrance fees to school groups in the year 2001 necessitated the increase in visitor satisfaction mechanisms through effective tour guiding and other school curriculum enhancing activities. The commemoration of the International Museum Day was introduced in 1993 and the Education Department was tasked with the responsibility to organize the annual event. Heritage quiz for primary schools was to be the event’s main activity. Since then Mutare Museum has  successfully hosted the national  event 4 times viz 1997,2002,2007 and 2012.The Region’s Chancellor  and Mutare Junior primary  schools are each 4 times winner at the national final of the quiz competition. To date this record hasn’t been broken by any other school. So far the programme has proved to be the organization’s main marketing tool and has attracted thousands of school pupils to visit the museum in preparation for the quiz competition. This competition is conducted from clusters of schools up to the national level and is mainly sponsored by the national museums.

The Education Department at Mutare Museum is now one of the core departments of the Institution .It is envisaged to spear head the provision of e- learning to visiting school groups and individual researchers

SECURITY DEPARTMENT

At the opening of the museum the responsibility to watch over the museum was tasked to African male staff working for the museum at that time, which rotated amongst themselves until 1974 when the work was contracted to Safeguard Security Company. In 1998 an interior alarm system was installed which however created false alarms at the detection of even a flying insect. The year 2000 saw the museum installing closed circuit television system to improve the security of its collections as well as Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) constabularies who worked under temporary revolving contracts. In 2008, officers seconded by the ZRP were appointed on a permanent basis by NMMZ. Currently the department is working on improving security of museum collections by Re-introducing surveillance systems around the museum gallery, installing smoke detectors ,servicing alarm systems and routinely service our fire extinguishers. Mr Mutsiwawo currently heads the security department at the museum.

ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT

The department was initially under the care of Mr Macan who was the Administrative officer subsequently leaving in 1987.Between 1987 and 1996 the department passed through the care of Mr Maisiri and Mr Ushamba who at that time were using the manual accounting imprest system.Mr Ushamba in 1996 had the opportunity to go to Sweden to learn about computerized accounting and on his return in February 1997 computers were introduced on a trial bases running parallel with the manual system. From that time to date the Museum has embraced computerised accounting and plans are underway to make it real time accounting through electronic accounting programmes.mrs Mutize heads the administration department as the Bookkeeper assisted by Ms Chipiro as Accounts Clerk.

MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

The department running under the care of Mr Majinje is responsible for all the repairs, fixing and sprucing up of the museum physical structure, vehicles and ground maintenance. It completes a vital cog in the museum operations.

Disclaimer: VisitManicaland website does not own the rights to this writeup. For questions and clarifications you may call the Museum on:

+26302063630mutarmus@comone.co.zw www.nmmz.co.zw 3 Aerodrome road , Mutare, Zimbabweor visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TransportAntiquitiesMuseum