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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter

PERCHED on a hill overlooking a picturesque rugged landscape dotted with shrubby Mopane trees, Zebra Hilltop Lodge, which is tucked away in the Mazunga forests in Beitbridge District, Matabeleland South, is set for a grand opening in August.

Situated about 50km west of the bustling border town, the lodge is not very far from Zhovhe Dam and the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), vast safari land jointly owned by Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana.

As part of a push to attract tourists, the long-term plan is to have a harbour at Zhovhe Dam for clients’ boat cruises.

There is also going to be a nine-hole golf course and an Olympic size swimming pool.

The luxurious facility has been designed with a focus on providing guests with adequate space for socialising and relaxing while on holiday in the border town.

The 40-roomed lodge, which can accommodate up to 100 guests, is set to have a huge bearing towards the attainment of the Government’s US$5 billion tourism economy target by 2025.

President Mnangagwa officially launched the National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy in August 2020 at Victoria Falls.

The National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy is anchored on Zimbabwe’s vision to be a prime international tourist destination based on the judicious and sustainable exploitation of the unique assets of nature, culture, heritage and the built environment.

 

The strategy is informed by the Government’s Vision 2030 to become an upper middle-income economy characterised by increased investment, decent jobs and a populace free from poverty and corruption.

The tourism industry is one of the country’s key foreign currency earners and employs thousands of people along the value chain.

Zebra Hilltop Lodge owner, Mr Roy Muleya said most of the work has been completed ahead of the official opening of the facility in August.

“We are almost through with our work and the lodge will be open in August.

We are working on the swimming pool, doing landscaping and other final touches,” he said.

Construction of the lodge started six years ago and the project was done in phases.

When it is fully complete there will be 50 individual units.

“This is also going to be a place for events such as weddings, conventions and conferences as we can accommodate up to 700 delegates,” said Mr Muleya.

He said they are also targeting international travellers that pass through Beitbridge, which is one of the busiest inland ports of entry in sub-Saharan Africa.

“With the ongoing modernisation of the border post, there will be an increased volume of traffic passing through and to us it’s an opportunity to tap into the international market,” said Mr Muleya.

“We also want to introduce excursions into the Greater Mapungubwe where people can be able to see dinosaur fossils and the abundance of wildlife in surrounding tourist facilities.”

He said the long-term plan was to have a harbour at Zhovhe Dam for clients’ boat cruises.

“There is also going to be a 9-hole golf course and an Olympic size swimming pool.

There are also spacious camping sites where families can enjoy the intimate bush experience,” said Mr Muleya.

With unique architecture and timeless interior designs, the wooden modular self-contained chalets are elegantly designed and fully furnished with quality appliances.

The lodge, which is reminiscent of a classic alpine chalet, boasts of bedrooms with ensuite facilities, rooms with double and twin beds, trendy kitchens with fridges and stoves and living rooms.

The master suites in particular come with private dressing rooms and afford long views across the gardens from the bay window.

There is also solar powered running water and electricity and a back-up generator in the event of power outages.

The scenery outside is refreshing and there is ample space for outdoor sporting activities such as bushwalks, hiking and quad bikes.

The bathrooms are fitted with a Paris basin, a reproduction of a 20th-century French fireclay design, chosen to suit the size of the room.

Some of the bathrooms have frameless glass screens that prevent water splashing from the shower area thereby protecting the beauty of the book-matched Carrara marble wall.

The interior space is connected to the timber clad exterior through the large windows and skylights, allowing one to interact with nature intimately.

– @mashnets