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Stanford Chiwanga
WHAT happens when Zimbabwe’s beloved Luna Park — a mobile amusement park — sets up camp at Matopos Sailing Club — the ultimate venue, on the outskirts of Bulawayo, for those who want to have family fun, relax, munch and sip and roast meat on firewood powered braai stands?

The answer is simple — something magical.

Telling you about it does not do justice to the experience of going there for yourself to witness outdoor fun at its best.

For years now, the Luna Park and Matopos Sailing Club have been dismissed as yesterday’s news. The Luna Park, owned by Spare Mania Investments, has been described as old, rusty and rickety. Matopos Sailing Club has been abandoned, neglected, rejected, deserted, forsaken, unused, disused, idle, jilted and isolated.

But the two have shown for the past two weekends that there is still life in them. Matopos Sailing Club is now teeming with people and cars. The so-called Luna Park is functioning well — there is nothing rusty and rickety about it.

Old, you say? “Vintage, not old,” says Witness Chihota, one of the Luna Park directors.

“This mobile Luna Park is one of the three mobile Luna Parks remaining in Southern Africa and it is in good condition. We have seen the social media posts and the news that say it is old, rusty, and rickety. That is far from the truth, this Luna Park is still in good condition. It is like a vintage car and it is serviced well.

“The old lady just needed a paint job; it is not rusty and we have painted it. Some Chinese wanted to buy it from us and we said no. If it was not in good condition, they were not going to try to buy it.

The difference between this mobile Luna Park and stationary ones is that it has to be made of metal so that it becomes easy to transport. That way it won’t get damaged or break,” said Chihota.

Since the days of yore, the Luna Park has been coming to Bulawayo in April for the ZITF week and afterward, it would pack and leave. But things are different this year — it is here to stay and it has moved to Matabeleland.

Chihota said: “People thought we were coming for ZITF only, but we were not. Yes, it could have been nice to serve the ZITF clientele, but it was unfortunate that we could not set up in time — it takes about two weeks to set it up.

“But the main reason we are here is that we have an agreement with Morden Magnet Investments to bring family fun to the Matabeleland region for a year. We will be here until after April next year unless the deal is extended and every weekend and holiday, we are open to the public.”

Phillip Phiri, one of the founders and director of Modern Magnet Investments, a Bulawayo company on a drive to promote tourism within the Matabeleland South region, said they decided to team up with the Luna Park because they felt there was something missing in their services.

Morden Magnet Investments has breathed life into Matopos Sailing Club and every weekend, it offers roller-coaster rides, horse rides, canoeing, speed boating, quad biking, swimming, drinking, braaiing and unwinding services.

“We want Matopos Sailing Club to be the place everyone goes to on weekends and holidays. Soon we will be offering camping services for those who want the ultimate outdoor experience.

“Not everyone wants to club and not everyone wants to chill in Bulawayo on a weekend. Some people want to go out with their entire families and friends and that is where we come in.

“With the Luna Park on board, we feel that we are now set to satisfy everyone. If you want some thrill, we have the amusement park. If you want to chill, we have the sailing club activities. When you visit us, you will leave without wanting,” said Phiri.