Online Reporter
Youth Interactive Writer
When the lights dimmed and the crown was placed on his head in August, 25-year-old Takunda Ryan Chitope believed life as Mr Tourism Zimbabwe 2025 would open new doors.
Instead, just weeks before he is expected to represent Zimbabwe at Mr Tourism Africa International in Nigeria, the Ruwa-based model finds himself in a fight for survival — appealing for support from designers, sponsors and well-wishers to make his dream a reality.
“I’m proud to have been given the chance to represent Zimbabwe, but the truth is I’m doing everything on my own,” he told this publication.
“Up to now, I haven’t received any prize from winning the title. I’ve invested over US$500 of my own money for gym fees, clothes, and photoshoots just to prepare myself. I haven’t even paid for flights, visas, or accommodation in Nigeria. It’s a heavy load, but I don’t want to give up.”
Mr Tourism Africa International is scheduled for Nigeria on October 18 with participants expected to be in bootcamp days before the finale.
For Takunda, the journey is about more than a crown.
A third-year student at Lupane State University, where he once served as Executive Council president, he is determined to use modelling as a platform to push important social issues — especially men’s mental health, which he feels is overlooked.
Through his Grey Wave Foundation, Takunda has already recruited more than 20 young men into university, worked with the National Aids Council, SAYWHAT, and Dreams in Motion to remove youths from drugs and crime, and even partnered with Oratach Property Development Company to secure employment for 25 young men in Lupane.
“Many people in my community stereotype male models,” he said. “They say modelling is for women, but times are changing.
“Look at how women are now engineers, a field that used to be male-dominated. If women can break those barriers, why can’t men be taken seriously in modelling?
“I want to be the voice of the voiceless, especially young men, to show that dreams are not defined by gender.”
Despite his achievements, the weight of representing Zimbabwe without adequate support frustrates him.
“It hurts that we got the crown but no prize. Nothing was said to us about what comes after, yet the expectations are huge. Still, I’m not bitter. I just wish to get assistance so that I can fly the flag of my country high in Nigeria,” he said.
Takunda has also toured Hwange, Nyanga, Victoria Falls and Chinhoyi Caves, experiences he says have given him deeper pride in Zimbabwe’s tourism.
“I’ve seen the beauty of my country, and that makes me even more eager to market it abroad. I want to tell the world about Zimbabwe, not just in words but by living the ambassadorial role I was crowned for.”
With just days left before the continental showdown, Takunda remains hopeful. He is appealing to designers, corporates, and well-wishers to step in and back his dream.
“I can’t do this alone.
“Representing Zimbabwe at Mr Tourism Africa is bigger than me — it’s about showing the world that Zimbabwean men can also lead, model, and inspire. With the right support, I know I can make the country proud.”
For now, Mr Tourism Zimbabwe carries his crown like a soldier — bruised by the lack of resources but burning with determination to put Zimbabwe on the map.
