travelling & touring:with Burzil Dube
Dete centre is a small town situated near the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls railway line. Its rail infrastructure is considered to be one of the best in Matabeleland North province.
The rail station was earmarked for development along similar lines such as the Dabuka station, which is near the city of Gweru. To the uninitiated, Dabuka is the country’s largest railway marshalling yard whose purpose is to regulate rail traffic in the Midlands province.
Its other purpose is to control rail traffic coming into Zimbabwe from other countries and such a similar scenario was supposed to have applied to Dete, which is situated about 300km northwest of Bulawayo.
The sleepy but progressing town is also located within Hwange National Park, the country’s largest game sanctuary and home to the proverbial Big Five, namely, the elephant, rhinoceros, lion, leopard and African buffalo.
As if that is not enough, veteran politician and speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda grew up in Dete. The same also applies to veteran rhythm guitarist Innocent Mjintu from the late famed Leonard Dembo’s Barura Express, who started his guitar-strutting business in Dete centre.
The fast-growing town is gradually surpassing Victoria Falls with strong and competing tourist accommodation packages. However, while Victoria Falls, which is situated about 170 km south-west of Dete, has all forms of tourist accommodation facilities, it could be lagging behind in terms of accommodation packages.
Some of the packages found in this particular rail town include tree lodges, hunting safaris, bush chalets, plethora of campsites, and budget lodges, among others.
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Talking of tourism packages and other related issues, one Dumisani Mpofu, Dete-born and bred hotelier, recently decided to establish a tourism training institution in his home town.
Mpofu is no stranger to the hospitality industry having previously worked at the country’s leading hotels where he also acquired vast experience in various managerial positions.
Mpofu decided to utilise the 25 years’ experience he got in the sector by establishing the Douglas Eland Vocational Training College whose main thrust is training of learner/professional hunters and guides.
Such courses entail a process where a qualified professional hunter/guide accompanies clients on an organised hunting expedition to track a particular animal. The professional hunter/guide then assists the client to shoot the animal and thereafter administers carcass skinning and preparation of a “trophy”, that is the animal’s preserved head.
The course is a much-sought-after qualification in the safari hunting industry as guided animal hunting is the most favourite pastime among foreign tourists.
In a recent interview, Mpofu said upon realisation that most youths in Dete had vast potential of becoming a force to reckon with within the tourism sector, he saw the need of a training institution. The centre’s proximity to the national park and lodges was an added advantage.
This culminated in the birth of the college that has produced graduates who are easily absorbed by the country’s hospitality players and some are even gainfully employed beyond the country’s borders.
The college also offers other courses such as hotel and catering, and motor vehicle mechanics, among a variety of vocational courses.
Following my previous article on avitourism as an appendage to the hospitality industry, Douglas Eland College will soon introduce a curriculum on this interesting particular subject.
Had it not been for this bird-watching guide course, this article would not have made it to this column. However, yours truly was touched by the enthusiasm shown by Mpofu towards avitourism or bird-watching.
Generally, avitourism is the observation or study of various types of birds for recreational purposes and this calls for special types of game guides who are familiar bird species.
Avitourism or bird-watching guides are usually ideal if they are from particular communities, which must also be adjacent to the place of activity. Such type of guides are more or less similar to learner professional guides/hunters even though those in avitourism do not kill birds but should be knowledgeable on various types of birds.
Dete’s proximity to Hwange National Park is an added advantage as the game reserve is home to a variety of birds with some being solely found in Zimbabwe.
However, for the dream to become a reality, Mpofu is in the process of looking for sponsorship to ensure that this new curriculum is a success and is readily available to the less privileged but talented communities in and around Dete.
Besides some hiccups on coming up with an avitourism class, the vocational college does not have adequate resources when offering hotel and catering practical lessons. The institution has also a challenge on transportation of students to field tours in various resorts in and around Dete.
Mpofu’s wish is for the town to become a Dabuka for the tourism industry where both domestic and foreign tourists converge in Dete before embarking to other local destinations.
The advantage of Dete is that it is near Hwange National Park Airport whose runway is approximately 5km long and 30 metres wide and is able to accommodate medium and big aircraft. The runway is considered to be the longest in the country.
This particular airport has all the necessary facilities such as air traffic control tower, fire and rescue services.
There is need for various stakeholders in and around the town of Dete to join hands with the likes of Mpofu to make the place a tourism destination of choice. It is only a matter of time before such a dream becomes a reality.
Before yours truly signs off, there has been whispers that the Lemba/Remba tribe are descendants of the biblical Noah who built the Ark after being instructed by God.
They claim to be the only chosen tribe on this earth and also played a role in the construction of Great Zimbabwe monument in Masvingo.
It is said that the Remba elders have information on the exact location of the biblical Ark.
Initially, yours truly was sceptical about the whole issue.
Need I say more?
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