Zimbabwean to drive 15,500km from UK to Bulawayo

A Zimbabwean social worker based in the United Kingdom is preparing for an extraordinary 15,500-kilometre solo road trip from Europe to Africa that will see him cross 34 international borders before arriving home in Zimbabwe.

Bulawayo-born Nkosilathi Mathe, 49, is set to depart from Birmingham on July 4 in a 2017 Nissan X-Trail, embarking on a months-long overland expedition that will take him across two continents.

The journey will begin in Europe, passing through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain before Mathe crosses into Morocco to start the African leg of the adventure.

From North Africa, he plans to travel largely along the continent's western corridor before heading through Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa and Lesotho. He will then travel to Cape Town before turning north through Namibia and Botswana and finally entering Zimbabwe through Plumtree Border Post.

"In total I would have crossed 34 borders," Mathe told ZimLive.

For Mathe, the expedition is about much more than reaching a destination. It is a personal mission to reconnect with Africa while raising funds for SOS Children's Villages, an international charity that supports vulnerable children.

"Flying is too boring. You miss a lot of the scenery and interactions with people," he said.

"Often when flying I look at the in-flight maps and wonder what the countries below are like to visit. I'm also doing this to fundraise for SOS Children's Villages and highlight the contrast in ease of cross-border travel in Europe and Africa."

Mathe left Zimbabwe for the United Kingdom in 2000, later moving to Ireland in 2008 before returning to England in 2014. In preparation for the trip, he recently stepped away from his social work career and began driving trucks, allowing him more flexibility to organise the demanding logistics of the expedition.

He said months of planning have gone into the journey, including researching border requirements, securing vehicle documentation and temporary import permits, and preparing the Nissan X-Trail for the long-distance trek.

"The toughest part has been accepting that you can't control everything and getting to grips with editing videos in order to share on social media platforms," he said.

The expedition is expected to cost between £10,000 and £15,000, with expenses covering fuel, visas, ferry crossings, accommodation and vehicle maintenance. However, Mathe plans to reduce costs by sleeping in his vehicle for much of the journey.

"Overlanding isn't cheap, but it's an investment in experience, perspective and connection," he said.

He described the trip as both a physical and emotional voyage that reflects his personal history and connection to his homeland.

"Driving home overland is a way of stitching together the distance between where I live and where I come from," Mathe said.

"It's a physical journey, but also an emotional one – a way of honouring heritage, reconnecting with identity and acknowledging the long, complicated paths that shape who we become."

According to Mathe, the response from Zimbabweans and other Africans living abroad has been overwhelmingly positive, with many viewing the journey as an inspiring reconnection with the continent.

"People from the diaspora see it as a bold reconnection with the continent – a journey many dream about but few attempt," he said.

"Often such journeys are relayed through white Europeans who give views of their travels from their perspective."

The former Milton High School student said the moment he finally arrives in Bulawayo will be one of the most significant milestones of the expedition.

"Rolling into Bulawayo will feel like closing a circle," he said.

"It's more than arriving at a destination, it's returning to a place that shaped me, carrying all the experiences of the journey with me."

As he prepares to embark on one of the most ambitious road journeys by a Zimbabwean traveller in recent years, Mathe hopes the expedition will inspire others to explore Africa, embrace their roots and support vulnerable children through his fundraising campaign.