New lodge opens in Mwenezi

Morris Bishi – MWENEZI – Sleepy and remote Mwenezi District has something new to smile about.

Indigenous people are starting to see the business potential in their area, thanks to Manyuchi Dam, Zimbabwe’s third largest inland dam.

A local businessman has completed Manyuchi Dam’s first ever lodge, the Manyuchi Lodge and in the offing is a mountain top conference centre whose construction will start anytime soon.

Mwenezi is a destination for many Non-Governmental Organisations due to the far-flung drought-prone district’s perennial need for assistance. NGOs’ personnel need a quiet and peaceful place to put up after a day’s arduous work in the simmering area and the place is certainly the new Manyuchi Dam Lodge.

Because of the dam, Manyuchi has also become a fishers’ and hunters’ paradise. Hundreds of fishers go to the area every year and hunters also go there for an adventure killing a crocodile or the hippo after getting the hunting certificate from Mwenezi District Council.

It is also a place for a family to cool off far from the madding crowd. The dam stands proud several kilometres away from the madding crowd in the nearest village. It is a paradise of peace and tranquillity occasionally broken by the chirping bird, the fighting hippos and the hunter’s gunfire.

Manyuchi Dam is 120 km outside Neshuro Growth Point. One travels 120km from Masvingo along Masvingo- Beitbridge Road and branches off to the right a few kilometres after Lundi Business Centre.

There is a stretch of a well maintained 33km road to Neshuro and from there one proceeds 12 km to the district’s paradise.

Manyuchi Lodge which is owned by a former NRZ employee, Obert Zvenyika Shiriyapenga has brought convenience to many who had been facing overnight accommodation challenges in Mwenezi.

The lodge which was officially opened in January 2014 is just meters away from the shores of the dam. The lodge has eight bedrooms all with en-suite facilities and comfortable amenities. It is located in a silent mountainous area where guests can view the water from all the rooms.

Shiriyapenga is a holder of a Masters in Business Leadership and worked for 32 years at NRZ and retired at the rank of Area Manager. He has experience in travelling and accommodation issues since he was working in the marketing department and on several times visited Manyuchi Dam.

“I decided to invest my retirement package into this project and being a local, the opportunity gave me all the strength to do something in my area and I have so far  spent between $120 – 150 000,” said Shiriyapenga.

The lodge was constructed in the model of a cultural village and it is also convenient for weddings and other social gatherings.

The rooms are thatched with grass, the area does not have electricity but all houses are powered by solar for lighting, gas for cooking and hot water. There is also self catering

“Basically we are creating a home away from home for hunters and fishermen who come to Manyuchi Dam. We also have campsites near the water where tents which can accommodate more people can be pitched”.

Shiriyapenga’s aim is to build more rooms and the construction of a bigger conference centre which will be on top of a mountain will commence soon.

“My aim is that by 2017, Manyuchi Lodge will be one of the leading lodges in Masvingo Province”, said Shiriyapenga.

Source: Mirror Reporter – Masvingo

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