Zimbabwe: Shattering misconceptions

My travel mates, Jono and Cale, and I looked for the cheapest form of transport from Cape Town. The long-distance bus service was our best option.
It took us 16 hours to reach Harare, after we had flown to Johannesburg. Besides the lack of toilet paper and the stench of body odour that permeated the bus, the journey was comfortable.
The bus provided good service. The primary language used by the bus driver and his assistant was Shona. The fact that we did not understand Shona was not a problem, because there was always a friendly person willing to translate the bus driver's directions into English. This was particularly helpful when we reached the border and we needed to get off the bus and open our bags for the police to check them.
This was a tense moment as we had no idea what to expect of the Zimbabwean police. However, the procedure at the border ran smoothly. Perhaps this was because we were there at 3am and the officials were tired and did not challenge us. But perhaps this was because we believed the misconception of many South Africans that you will always experience difficulty and possibly various forms of bribery at the border.
Around 7am, I woke to our first road-block in Zimbabwe. A memorable scene greeted me. It depicted several potholes lying parallel to our bus, a gravel sidewalk and luscious, green bush which stretched endlessly along the road. A policeman entered my frame. The perfect photo, I thought.
Within seconds, wearing my pyjamas, I was stunned to be summoned off the bus to face the policeman, who referred to himself as a sergeant-major. He was confused as to why I had taken a photo of him. I was confused as to why he cared. Our misunderstanding was eased after he explained that you need permission from police headquarters before taking a photo of police.
Travelling by bus gave us the opportunity to witness the breathtaking beauty of Zimbabwe. It is far greener than South Africa during summer. It also seems more expansive.
Our bus arrived at the station in the centre of Harare. The station and the city were chaotic. People and cars filled the roads. There was a definite lack of modernity compared to South Africa. The buildings and pavements (when present) were worn.
We spent a week in Avondale, a suburb just outside Harare. This was like the Newlands in Cape Town: wealthier and better kept than the centre of the city. However, the properties were much larger (with spectacular gardens) than most in Newlands, where I live.
The affluence in many parts of Harare was astounding. We could only wonder how some people had such wealth when others were living without shelter, huddled around fires, in the bush.
It was humbling to see that even the better-off people have to make do with what they have to combat the problems they face. For instance, the family with whom we stayed had a vegetable garden which produced some food the shops lacked. Although Zimbabwe no longer has a food shortage to the same desperate degree it used to, this family still has a means of producing vegetables which are better than those in shops.
The drinking water problem – much of the municipal water is unavailable or hazardously undrinkable – was solved by boiling water from the borehole in their garden and keeping it in empty Coke bottles. Hardly anyone in that area is without a borehole. Various alternative cooking measures, such as the use of gas, were resorted to when the electricity frequently stopped working or when the emergency generator failed.
We had the privilege of visiting the Lomagundi Lakeside Lodges at Lake Kariba. Even in this idyllic holiday resort poverty was evident. Locals from the nearby villages would sit on the banks of the crocodile- and hippo-infested waters and fish using handmade rods. Belinda, the domestic worker, explained that staff have to walk through elephant territory every day to get to and from work.
Fishing off a catamaran on Lake Kariba was a major highlight of the trip. There is nothing more beautiful than watching a Zimbabwean sunset expand across the waters in front of you, while listening to the sound of birds and the lapping of water on the side of the catamaran. Even if there are crocodiles below.
Throughout the trip we felt safe to walk around with our cameras and other valuables on display, because despite the poverty, crime in Zimbabwe is minimal. This was an eye-opener for a South African.
There were nation wide flaps over the availability of fuel. When we were in Banket, and our fuel gauge was on empty, we managed to siphon over-priced diesel – bought from an informal trader – using a broken Coke bottle.
Zimbabwean politics disturbed our holiday at one point. We had planned to visit one of Lake Chivero's country clubs. But the owner warned us not to, as war veterans were in the area, attempting to seize the club.
Most people know that Zimbabwe is impoverished. We witnessed this for ourselves. However, we also saw that Zimbabwe is yet another African country with immense potential right on our doorstep. It is our fervent hope that the political issues are dealt with in order to make Zimbabwe a more likely holiday destination.
At least there is something to build on now.