Gazebo, Civic Square

The elegant gazebo in the Civic Square was built in 1924.  It was the home of a coach magnate, Doel Zeederberg, who established the first passenger stage-coach service between Pietersburg (now Polokwane) and Bulawayo (in Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia) in 1894.  It is a reminder of an era of huge progress and the service played a big part in attracting people to the region. According to C.K. Cooke, only two of this type of Concord coach is known to survive in Southern Africa, the one above at the Natural History Museum in Bulawayo and the other in the Museum Africa in Johannesburg.  Cooke says Zeederberg’s closed their business in 1930 and this coach was sold in 1932 to Bulawayo Municipal Council for £25 and used on pioneer and other anniversaries, the last occasion being in 1950 on Bulawayo’s 60th anniversary celebration.  It was then housed at Government House, but its condition deteriorated and in 1964 it was sent to the Natural History Museum (then the National Museum) for repairs and display. Cooke says it was lifted into position on the second floor by Messrs. Fox and Bookless (Pvt) Ltd who took over Zeederberg’s business, Mr Bookless being Zeederberg’s book-keeper, then general manager until its closure.