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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

“NO home is better than Zimbabwe!” Those are the words of 60-year-old Ms Dot Bekker, a Zimbabwean white woman who left the country 38 years ago and decided to retrace her roots in style – driving through 19 countries from the UK.

Ms Bekker was born and raised in Zimbabwe. She left in 1982 going to Cape Town in South Africa before relocating to the UK, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg.

Ms Dot Bekker waves the Zimbabwean flag upon arrival to Zimbabwe after 18 months of driving from UK across Africa

In a typical reversal of the Cape to Cairo mission by Cecil John Rhodes, Ms Bekker set off on an over landing trip from the UK via West and Central Africa, driving a two-wheel drive camp van Ford Transit, which she named BlueBelle, covering 20 000km over eight and half months.

Such trips are popular with international tourists as they crisscross Africa to enjoy natural beauty and hospitality of the mother continent.

Ms Dot Bekker crossing a stream as she drives across Africa

She says it was an amazing adventure but not for the faint-hearted, as she was rescued 13 times, and has documented a book “Going Home to Africa.”

“When I got to Sub Saharan Africa I really felt at home. As soon as I got to Senegal I could smell Africa. I was like this is the Africa that I know. The thing about Africa is you are never alone,” said Ms Bekker in her blog and social media posts.

Some unidentified men helps Ms Dot Bekker to push her vehicle in one of the African countries

“And that’s the thing I love about Africa, that the people are incredibly warm. I still wave at everyone now that I am home in Zimbabwe.”

…more to follow