By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
TRIANGLE — The Lowveld is getting a new kind of recognition. Triangle Country Club has long been the social heart of a company town, the recreational arm of the sugar estate that gave the settlement its name. But today, its doors are opening wider than ever before.
As tourists and buyers trickle in for the 19th Sanganai/Hlanganani Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo in Masvingo, Triangle Country Club has found itself thrust into the spotlight.
The club’s management is quietly confident that the world is finally discovering what locals have known for decades.
Triangle Country Club FnB manager Ropafadzaishe
“Triangle Country Club is like the wellness centre, where hospitality, sports, luxury and lifestyle come together,” said Ropafadzaishe Mushoorwa, the club’s Food and Beverage Manager, during a media tour of the facility.
“When you are here, we have all the facilities you need.”
A Sporting Haven
The club’s versatility is its greatest asset. The main hall doubles as a conference venue, catering to corporate clients who wish to escape the city for the Lowveld. A 300-seat cinema offers entertainment — an unusual find in a sugar town. Chalets, bars, a grill, a gymnasium, and a bowling rink complete the picture.
But it is the sporting facilities that take centre stage. The cricket pitch, said hospitality manager Qhubekani Tshuma, has earned accreditation to host National Premier League games — a breakthrough that signals the rise of Lowveld cricket.
“Happy to say that this year our pitch has been accredited to host NPL games,” Tshuma said. “I think we’ve hosted quite a number over this season.”
The ground itself has a history stretching back to the late 1970s, having hosted a first-class fixture in the 1979/80 season.
This year, Triangle Cricket Club qualified for Zimbabwe Cricket’s National Premier League for the first time in its history — a moment that Zimbabwe Cricket has welcomed as proof that serious cricket is being played in more corners of the country.
Ropafadaishe Mushoorwa left and journalist Jonathan Mbiriyamveka of Gemnation
A Legacy of Sporting Glory
The club’s sporting history extends beyond cricket. In 1995, when the South African rugby team won the World Cup, they camped at Triangle Country Club — a story preserved in a framed and signed photograph on an office wall.
“This field is interchangeable,” Tshuma said, pointing to the expansive grounds. “We can host cricket as well as hosting rugby.”
Six tennis courts, squash courts, a swimming pool, and a golf course — described by Mushoorwa as the club’s crown jewel — complete the sporting inventory. “Our premium golf course that we take pride in,” she said.
The Sugar Heritage
Triangle’s roots are deeply embedded in sugar. The estate traces its origins to 1919, when Murray MacDougall began a cattle venture that later turned to crops. The first 18 hectares of sugar cane were planted in 1934, and Zimbabwe’s first sugar mill opened at Triangle on 11 September 1939.
Today, Triangle Limited, wholly owned by Tongaat Hulett, farms close to 14,000 hectares of irrigated cane. Alongside neighbouring Hippo Valley Estates, it accounts for the overwhelming bulk of the country’s sugar production.
The country club was the estate’s leisure infrastructure — a members’ facility for company employees. Today, those doors are open to the public, and the people it wants walking through them are tourists and business travellers.
Chef Taku checks whats cooking
The repositioning of Triangle Country Club comes as Zimbabwe’s tourism sector undergoes a deliberate shift. After hosting the Sanganai Expo in Mutare in 2025, the 2026 edition moved to Masvingo, with the province’s heritage, adventure, and agro-tourism offerings taking centre stage.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi noted that buyers had been deliberately scattered across the province — to Chiredzi, Tugwi-Mukosi, Bikita, and Zaka — to ensure they experienced the full breadth of what Masvingo Province offers.
“They are here to explore Masvingo so that after Sanganai/Hlanganani they will sell Masvingo Province, not just Victoria Falls, Bulawayo or Harare,” she said.
Access is also improving. Air Zimbabwe has introduced direct Harare–Masvingo services timed to the expo, with some flights extending into the Lowveld and Chiredzi — the gateway to Gonarezhou National Park, the Chilojo Cliffs, and the private conservancies of Malilangwe and Save Valley.
The Baobab Restaurant
At the heart of the club’s hospitality offering is the Baobab Restaurant — a name chosen with intention.
“The climate in the Lowveld is more like a desert,” Mushoorwa explained. “The baobab tree itself is a symbol of life.
“The people back then, when they saw the baobab tree, the fruits would be for food, the trunk would be for shelter, and they could even make a living out of it. So, the Baobab Restaurant is the place where we know that we are nourished.”
The popular bar and braai area
It is a nod to the landscape of the Lowveld, where baobabs stand tall over the mopane woodland of Gonarezhou National Park — a stone’s throw from the club.
For Qhubekani Tshuma, the Sanganai Expo has already delivered. “And within the Lowveld, I’m sure you’ll get updates from the buyers that came through. We also have the Gonarezhou National Park, which I think hosts one of the largest herds of elephants. So, it’s something that our clients can look forward to.”
“In terms of tourism, I think Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe 19th edition has brought us to the map. I think that’s our start — it’s brought us to the map, and people now get to know about the Lowveld, what we offer, and the incredible facilities available.”
For Triangle Country Club, the journey is just beginning.
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#IlifaLethu #ZimBho
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