Emmanuel Kafe
CheckPoint Desk
Today, Belvedere in Harare is known for its leafy streets, established homes and quiet residential atmosphere, but few people know that the Harare suburb was once home to the city’s main airport, where aircraft landed and took off decades before the construction of the present-day Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
Historical records confirm that Belvedere Airport, also known as Salisbury Municipal Aerodrome, was established in 1932 and served as the principal airport for Salisbury, now Harare.
Its history dates back to the early development of aviation in the country, when air travel was still in its infancy and the city had not yet expanded to the size it is today.
The airfield became particularly important during the Second World War when it was incorporated into the Empire Air Training Scheme, a British Commonwealth initiative that trained aircrew for the war effort.
On May 24, 1940, No. 25 Elementary Flying Training School was established at Belvedere as part of the Rhodesian Air Training Group. The facility was subsequently designated Belvedere Air Station and became an important centre for pilot training.
After the war, Belvedere returned to civilian aviation and became the headquarters of Central African Airways, which operated from the airfield between 1946 and 1956.
However, the airport was increasingly becoming unsuitable for the growing city.
A 1950 report by the director of Civil Aviation identified several safety concerns, including the runway’s alignment, which was about 45 degrees off the desired direction.
Aircraft approaching the airport had to navigate through a gap in Warren Hills while departing planes were forced to fly over the city centre.
The growth of high-rise buildings, including Milton Building, further increased the safety concerns. The airport’s infrastructure, originally designed for military training, was also inadequate for expanding commercial aviation.
Consequently, a new airport was constructed east of Salisbury. The new Salisbury Airport was commissioned on July 1, 1956 and officially opened on February 5, 1957. Belvedere’s airport operations subsequently ended in 1957.
Interestingly, aviation was not the last chapter of the land’s history.
In 1959, the former airfield was converted into a 3.219-kilometre triangular motor racing circuit. It subsequently hosted the Rhodesian Grand Prix on August 14, 1960, attracting a reported 10,000 spectators.
South African driver Syd van der Vyver won the race in a Cooper T43 powered by an Alfa Romeo engine.
The circuit remained in use for motor racing until 1974.
The suburb also has an interesting connection to Zimbabwe’s weather forecasting history.
The Southern Rhodesian Air Force established a meteorological service at Belvedere Air Station in June 1941 to provide weather information to pilots and train navigators.
The Meteorological Services Department’s historical records also trace the establishment of aviation-related meteorological offices in Salisbury to the 1930s.
The transformation of the former airfield into residential and commercial property followed, with Belvedere featuring among the suburbs receiving municipal residential stands in the 1980s.
A 1986 report by this publication, for instance, once documented the allocation of serviced stands in the suburb.
Today, much of the former airfield has been absorbed by urban development, leaving its aviation history largely unfamiliar to many residents.
What is now a familiar Harare neighbourhood was once a place where pilots trained, commercial aircraft operated and thousands gathered to watch motor racing.
Belvedere was not always a suburb. It was once one of Salisbury’s gateways to the skies.
