Zimbabwe receives a lot of bad press but don’t let the politics deter you. It’s an exquisite country home to tenacious and accommodating people – a traveller’s dream.
A good start
‘Hey! The queue starts over there!’
The sweetest words I’d heard since leaving South Africa. We were at the Mutare border post in Zimbabwe. So far on our trip, border crossings have involved a great deal of pushing, something I haven’t quite gotten the hang of. Time and time again I’ve practiced manners instead of spunk, cursing under my breath each time I lost my place in the ‘queue’. Imagine my delight then when the border official at Mutare post reminded drifters of queuing protocol. I knew I was going to like Zimbabwe.
Unexpected order
On the surface, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe looks great! The national road running from the Mutare border post to Harare is in superb condition. Bar the odd infrastructural shell, the urban centres are impressive. Clean. Organised. Developed. I found Zimbabwe’s police checkpoints (prolific across southern Africa) to be far less nerve wracking than those in Mozambique. If you’ve paid your road taxes, have a valid temporary import permit for your vehicle and aren’t carrying weapons, you won’t have any problems. The officials we encountered at each checkpoint were polite and weren’t interested in taking our Cokes. Moreover, they all spoke impeccable English – a comfort when the man you’re engaging with is carrying a gun.
The ease with which one can drive through Zimbabwe compliments its world-class scenery. The name Zimbabwe comes from the Shona word meaning ‘big house of stone’. Taken from Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe’s greatest historical monument, the country’s post-independence name was an excellent choice. From the lofty mountain peaks of Bvumba (a 15-minute drive from Mutare and well worth a visit) to the enormous boulders leading into Harare, to the rosy-cheeked koppies that punctuate golden stretches of bushveld – rocks of all shapes, colours and sizes are almost always in view. Driving through the big house of stone, enchanting gardens of sandstone sculptures are never hard to find. Silhouettes of whimsical women, curvaceous hippos, hopeful faces and families intertwined are creatively arranged against the skyline. Unfortunately, many of the gardens are devoid of customers, a sad sign of Zim’s dwindled tourism industry. ‘Artist graveyards,’ James mumbled grimly as we drove past one particularly desolate display.
Zimbabwe’s woes, Zimbabweans’ resilience
Artist graveyards aside, visitors wouldn’t see anything wrong in Zimbabwe. As a first timer to the country, I was amazed by its order and beauty that, sadly, receives little-to-no press attention. To me Zimbabwe is the ideal holiday destination – easy to travel by car, relatively affordable and scenically diverse. Holidaymakers have very little to be concerned about despite the many struggles that Zimbabwe locals still face. These struggles sprung to life around our hosts’ dinner table in Harare:
Zimbabwe’s Minister of National Healing beaten up and imprisoned for speaking publicly about the hardships that Zimbabwe has yet to overcome.
Former Zimbabwean farmers – visiting from Canada and curious to see how their farm was doing – beaten, stripped and left on the road by war veterans that found them ‘snooping’.
The new indigenisation policy, if realised, will prohibit white and foreign ownership of Zimbabwean-based businesses (oddly enough the policy delineates Chinese as indigenous).
Corruption. Electricity cuts. Censorship.
While we sat looking perturbed, our storytellers remained calm with a sparkle in their eyes. An air of resilience accompanied each tale along with an obvious love for the home country that they have no intention of abandoning. We left Harare, impressed by its order and humbled by the hardiness of those we met.
