PICTURE: Chiredzi’s tourist attractions include The Chilojo Cliffs
CHIREDZI District is in the south-eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe and one of the seven districts that makes Masvingo Province. The district’s neighbours include Chipinge on its east, both Zaka and Chivi on its west, Buhera on its north and Beitbridge and Mwenezi districts as well as Mozambique and South Africa on its southern borders.
Chiredzi falls under the Natural Region 5 where successful crop farming is attained under irrigation. The savanna type of vegetation found in the region makes it ideal for animal farming, be it wildlife or livestock.
Big inland rivers that cut across the district include Zimbabwe’s longest inland waterway, Save River which demarcates Chiredzi and Chipinge district, Runde, Mutirikwe, Mwenezi and Chiredzi rivers as Limpopo River acts as the border between the district and South Africa.
Chiredzi district is popular with commercial sugar cane production. South African based Tongaat Hulett has interests in Triangle Estates and Hippo Valley Estates. From previous years, cotton stood as a second rated commercial crop to sugar cane with the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe and Romsdale Investments setting up ginnery factories in the district.
The district has air transport facilities in the likes of Buffalo Range Airport. Livestock farming is popular in communal areas with beef companies like Montana Meats and Sable Meats setting up cattle collection points in Chiredzi town.
Despite the high temperatures that reach above 35 degrees Celsius and mosquito infestation experienced in the area, Chiredzi district has maintained its status as a model for tourism.
Starting with the hospitality industry, Chiredzi has a hotel, Nesbitt Arms Hotel, two country clubs, Triangle and Hippo Valley, metro lodges like Marmak, Laduma, Tshaka, Sika, Nongo, Shamwari, Nyari, Stallion and King Fisher and safari lodges like Pamushana, Nduna, Hakamela, Senuko, Muteri, High Syringa, Simuwini Rest Camp and Chipinda Pools Camp.
Wildlife tourism has been high in the district with Zimbabwe’s second biggest national wildlife reserve Gonarezhou National Park stretching from the southern, eastern and northern border of the district with both South Africa and Mozambique and headlines the category. The vast national park is part of the Great Limpopo Trans Frontier Park which amalgamates Limpopo, Kruger and Gonarezhou national parks of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe respectively.
Gonarezhou National Park is home to the world renowned 170m high red sandstones called Chilojo Cliffs and the natural Chipinda pools along Runde River in the eastern region of the wildlife reserve. The cliffs have been a tourist attraction since the early stages of Gonarezhou in the late 1960s to this day.
PICTURE: The Big Five animals are a tourist attraction to Chiredzi
A number of privately owned wildlife reserves like Save Valley Conservancy, which is the world’s largest private owned wildlife reserve, Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Chiredzi River Conservancy and the public Manjinji Pan Sanctuary make Chiredzi tick in non-consumptive tourism circles.
Chiredzi District is under Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE). This leads to the existence of hunting concessions like Navasha, Malipati Safari Area and Chipinda where tourists on sport hunting are allowed to shoot animals under CAMPFIRE.
Then most interesting thing happening in Chiredzi is that tourism operators understand the need for cultural tourism. The district is host to the Great Limpopo Cultural Trade Fair whose themes promotes culture, conservation and development. The cultural fair is an exposition for communities and business entities in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.
PICTURE: The Great Limpopo Cultural Trade Fair is Chiredzi's main cultural tourism attractions
Since its inception in 2013, the Chiredzi tourism players like the Malilangwe Trust, sugar blue chip company, Tongaat Hulett, Frankfurt Zoological Society (Gonarezhou National Park), Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge and Chiredzi Rural District Council have been supporting the cultural trade fair. This enabled the trade fair organisers, Centre for Cultural Development Initiatives to construct a multi-cultural village at Boli Mhlanguleni in Chiredzi south.
Chiredzi is really a model for both consumptive and non-consumptive tourism. This explains why international icons like computer ace, Bill Gates and his family and also pop star, Shakira descended on the district for holiday making during the early years of this decade.