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THE US$500 000 Lanyula Cultural Village eco-tourism project in Hwange District is set to be commissioned tomorrow.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Barbara Rwodzi, and her Foreign Affairs and International Trade counterpart, Frederick Shava, are expected to grace the commissioning.
The village, located in Lubangwe Village just 5km from Hwange National Park, employs 12 locals and is expected to enhance Zimbabwe’s tourist appeal.
Tourism is a key pillar of Zimbabwe’s economy, and investment in infrastructure fosters growth in the industry as the country strives to achieve a US$5 billion tourist sector by 2025.
It’s spearheaded by UK-based Zimbabwean Mr Takudzwa Mutepfa, who is the project director, and features five thatched chalets and is 100 percent solar-powered, while locally sourced materials are used throughout to ensure environmental sustainability.
It minimises plastic usage and any waste generated is used to landscape and decorate the facility. Lanyula, which means “the sun has set” in the Nambya language, showcases various ethnic groups that reside in the country such as the Shona, Ndebele, Nambya, Tonga, Sotho and Venda.
All bathtubs and washing basins at Lanyula are made from locally sourced, expertly sculpted stone, and the chalets are thatched, with some mats and linen in the rondavels fashioned from animal skin.
Notable pieces displayed in the onsite gallery include the Nyaminyami stone sculpture of the Tonga community, the Rozvi moon stone sculpture and a depiction of the Great Zimbabwe monument.
Mr Mutepfa told Business Chronicle that to support local arts and culture, they allow local artists to exhibit and sell their artefacts.
By empowering the local community, offering new job opportunities, and teaching preservation skills, the project hopes to put a dent in poaching activities in the area.
Mr Mutepfa said the project was inspired by President Mnangagwa’s call for the diaspora community to invest locally and contribute to rebuilding the country.
“In 2018 we listened to the ‘Open for Business’ call by His Excellency, The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr Mnangagwa for all diasporans to invest back home and rebuild the country,” he said.
“We then embarked on this journey to establish this project as our contribution to the community.”
He said communities living adjacent to game parks, have for a long time not fully benefited from the wildlife and other locally available resources.
In most cases, they suffer as big game like elephants, lions and buffalo kill or maim them, destroy their homes and crops and compete with them for diminishing water sources, he said.
“We have a home-grown solution to some of those challenges. We are creating employment for our people. They are learning new skills and they are keen to learn. When people are empowered, there is no incentive for them to poach,” said Mr Mutepfa.
Lanyula offers education to local communities on how they can protect the wider environment, he added.
On the business side, Mr Mutepfa noted that Lanyula aspires to provide an opportunity for visitors to combine holidaying and cultural and environmental preservation.
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