admin
Tafadzwa Chibukwa, Chronicle Reporter
HAVING started in the 1970s, the Luna Park has always been a favourite of many, from children to adults.
It is mostly popular during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) period around April where the owners station the leisure machines close to ZITF grounds for the convenience of those who would have visited the annual trade showcase.
While the Luna Park has provided the country with countless family-get-together memories through diverse recreational activities, the faces behind the leisure park have always been overlooked.
Without them many families may not have afforded great bonding time at relatively little expense.
The originators of famous “rides” auctioned them in 2017 and Family Amusement Park managing director, Mr Witness Chihota and his partner Mrs Lucy Bonyongwa, both from Ruwa near Harare, purchased the machinery, which include the joyride, the train, the jets, the shells, the boats and the big wheel
Speaking to Chronicle recently, Mr Chihota said their company Spares Mania purchased the machinery and has since been trading as Family Amusement Park.
“We were working together as partners with Mrs Bonyongwa at the time we received word that the Luna Park was on auction. We went and bid for the equipment and purchased it, since then we have been operating together as Family Amusement Park,” said Mr Chihota.
The Luna Park is the only mobile leisure-ride centre in Zimbabwe and every month the operators move to a new place. They have committed to providing their services to Bulawayo for the month of April at the open space on the corner of Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street.
Mr Chihota said running the Luna Park is not as easy as it seems.
“Running such a big thing might seem uncomplicated but trust me it is not, it requires a lot of dedication and effort. Another reason being that we move from time to time hence assembling and dismantling is the hardest time of all. Another thing that gives us challenges is moving the equipment, at the moment we do not have our own trucks to transport the machinery but rely on hiring. We hire six trucks to carry all the machinery,” he said.
Mr Chihota said outsiders sometimes say he was not wise to buy old and worn out machinery with some going as far as saying they did not trust the rides.
He said the Luna Park is run by qualified people who have confidence in their machinery and always keep it in tip-top condition.
“We have always been told that our machinery is now old, rusty and might cause accidents but that has never happened. We have always had a good reputation through the passage of time and have never recorded any serious injury from the Luna Park machinery. All our machines have safety devices and are manually operated. We actually pride ourselves in prioritising the safety of our customers over making money,” said Mr Chihota.
He said the leisure-ride centre has eight employees who are fully qualified mechanics and engineers.
“We put the safety of our customers first before the money they bring in. In that very aspect the people operating the machinery at the Lunar Park are fully qualified mechanics and engineers who are also responsible for servicing the machinery. Every morning before we start the day, we make sure that the machinery is serviced,” said Mr Chihota.
He said they have purchased new machinery which they hope to introduce soon.
“Since we bought the machinery in 2017 we were greatly affected by the Covid 19 lockdown period when we could not operate.
We have since gathered some money and purchased new machinery for the benefit of our customers and hope to ship it into the country soon,” he said. — @Sagepapie14
Online Reporter