Online Reporter
Conrad Mupesa-Mashonaland West Bureau
FOR nearly three decades, two ageing aircraft perched beside the busy Harare-Bulawayo Road in Chegutu have stood as silent reminders of a dream that never truly took flight.
To travellers passing through the town, the weather-beaten planes popularly known as “Pazvindege” have long been a landmark, curiosity and conversation piece.
Yet behind the rusting metal shells lie a story of ambition, innovation and ultimately abandonment.
Late property developer, Mr Eddie Pfugari envisioned transforming the retired aircraft into a unique aviation-themed restaurant that would serve meals to ordinary Zimbabweans, offering them the rare experience of dining inside a plane without ever buying a ticket.
At a time when air travel remained a luxury for many citizens, the concept promised to bring the glamour of aviation closer to the people.
The two Vickers Viscount aircraft, mounted on concrete plinths in Chegutu near the monumental century-old Chegutu swimming pool, are believed to have been acquired around the late 1990s by the Chegutu Municipality, Air Zimbabwe and corporate sponsors Coca-Cola.
The ground on which the two planes are mounted was allegedly sold to Pfugari in 2012 with some former council officials, including then town planner Douglas Chimhanda, spearheading the process.
Chimhanda was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and appeared before the Court, where he was granted bail.
One of the aircraft, according to aviation researches showed that it once belonged to the Shah of Iran before later ferrying Britain’s Queen Mother during her 1965 royal tour of Australia, a rich history now hidden beneath layers of peeling paint and broken windows.
The restaurant idea, however, failed to attract sustained investment and operational support.
Instead of becoming a bustling tourist attraction and family leisure centre, the planes slowly deteriorated into abandoned relics.
The Chegutu planes present an opportunity that can be utilised to market the town of Chegutu.
Today, overgrown surroundings, stripped interiors and fading fuselages dominate the site, turning what was once an ambitious tourism concept into what many residents now describe as an eyesore.
For many travellers who grew up using the Harare-Bulawayo highway, the aircraft became part of childhood memories.
“Whenever travelling through Chegutu by bus, I always looked out for the planes and wondered why they were left there,” said one traveller who last saw the aircraft in 2017.
“As I grow older, they remind me that people must enjoy life and travel, while they still can because time eventually leaves everything behind.”
The place has also become a hiking place for those travelling to Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru and Bulawayo.
To motorists and bus drivers, “Pazvindege” is also a place to pick and drop passengers, with some vendors finding a spot to record huge sales.
Chegutu Mayor, Councillor Rydes Machekera, acknowledged the deteriorating condition of the aircraft and said council was concerned about the negative impact the abandoned planes were having on the town’s image.
He revealed that the property remained privately owned under the Pfugari family, making it difficult for the council to directly intervene despite years of concern.
“The issue of that ‘Pazvindege’ is private property linked to Pfugari Properties,” said Clr Machekera.
“For the past 25 years, very little has happened there and the place has now become an eyesore.”
He said the council had previously explored possibilities of refurbishing the site around 2013, but failed to proceed due to ownership complications.
“We now want to engage the Pfugari family so that something meaningful can be done.
The late Eddie Pfugari
“Even if there are family squabbles over the property, the town cannot continue having such a prominent area deteriorating,” he said.
Clr Machekera added that Chegutu was expanding rapidly, with a new development expected across the highway, making it more urgent to restore or redevelop the aircraft site.
“Our new town is coming up across the road and having such a neglected place at the entrance is not fair to the image of Chegutu. We need to spruce up the planes or come up with a lasting solution for the sake of the town’s image,” he said.
While the dream of serving meals aboard grounded aircraft may have died with Mr Pfugari, the planes continue to evoke nostalgia and curiosity among motorists and residents alike.
Whether they will one day be restored into a tourism attraction or eventually disappear into history remains uncertain, but the aircraft remain frozen in time.
