Chronicle Editor
Uzile Mkwananzi , Sunday News Reporter
THE Umzingwane Rural District Council is courting investors to help build its tourism sector, unlock its potential and drive the rural industrialisation agenda that emphasises the use of natural resources for socio-economic development.
The Rural District Council (RDC)’s chief executive officer, Mrs Sithembiso Sibanda, said they took advantage of opportunities presented by the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) to market the district’s unique tourism products to both investors and visitors.
“Umzingwane is a district endowed with a lot of beautiful scenery that many do not know of. Our participation at the ZITF is therefore inspired by the need to call on investors to partner with us and develop various tourist places that we have in the district.
“We are simply marketing the many investment opportunities that we have and the benefits that they may give us if fully exploited as we push the rural industrialisation momentum, aimed at improving the livelihoods of communities.
“We have so many natural wonders in Umzingwane that many people do not know of. We have the orbicular granite, which is found only in Umzingwane and South Africa. It resembles a tortoise and is so beautiful. We also have the Lumene Falls and Matshatshatsha Falls, which can also be great tourist attractions. People have been going to Victoria Falls leaving nearby falls, which can bring in a lot of tourism interest,” she said.
Mr Sibanda said the district also boasts of the Kumbudzi Ruins, which is not very far in resemblance to the Great Zimbabwe.
“Umzingwane also has the Kumbudzi Ruins, which greatly resemble the Great Zimbabwe and because of the way it is built, one may think that they were first built before Great Zimbabwe. We are therefore looking for investment opportunities in the area of tourism to help develop and market such wonders. With the aid of investors, we can build lodges for accommodation and bring up the camping sites that we need and also get tour operators,” said Mrs Sibanda.
She added that they also have cultural exchange programmes that they practice in the form of traditional dances among others.
She said they have children from Bezha Primary School who are partaking in the cultural exchange through traditional dances adding that they want to catch them while they are still young.
Mrs Sibanda said that will help them stay grounded and rooted in who they are and also promote the inclusion of everyone in developmental projects.
“The children are getting national recognition as they recently performed at the Independence Day celebrations in Buhera. We are proud of that and we want to support them at all costs.
“We also have youths doing traditional dances, they do it for cultural purposes and also entertainment. We also have handmade baskets done mainly by the elderly, they knit using a special type of grass.
“This grass can also be used for medicinal purposes, it used to help during the Covid-19 era when people used it for steaming. This is just to show that Umzingwane has a lot to offer, with enough resources and funding, we can deliver a lot in terms of culture and tourism,” said Mrs Sibanda.
She said although rural districts are often undermined in terms of investment Umzingwane has a lot of potential in cultural products with cave granaries that still have seeds that were used long back, cave paintings and sacred shrines, among other historical sites that can be used for tourism.
Bongani Ndlovu