By Admore Mbonda
KARIBA – This Easter holiday, Zimbabwe’s famous resort town experienced an unexpected quiet – not by choice, but because tourists are voting with their wheels against the disastrous Harare-Chirundu Highway.
Tourists Say “No Thanks” to Pothole Adventure
What should be Kariba’s busiest weekend has turned into a ghost season, with holidaymakers canceling en masse after hearing horror stories about the 300km stretch of crumbling tarmac.
“We booked six months ago, but after seeing photos of the road, we decided a staycation was safer than a suspension-killing safari,” confessed Tinashe Moyo, a Harare-based accountant who canceled his family’s trip.
Lodge manager Tendai Chikomo paints a grim picture: “We’re sitting at 30% occupancy when we should be fully booked. Even slashing prices to half hasn’t helped – people would rather stay home than risk their cars.”
Businesses Counting Losses
The tourism bloodline is hemorrhaging:
Lakeview Resort reports 72 cancellations in one week, Houseboat operators seeing 40% fewer bookings and Craft markets expecting poorest sales in a decade.
“This road isn’t just bad – it’s becoming an economic disaster,” fumes Kariba Tourism Association chairperson Grace Ndlovu. “Every pothole is literally costing us dollars.”
Sources reveal the triple threat killing the highway:
Zero maintenance since 2021
Illegal overloaded trucks avoiding tollgates
Washed-away sections from last rainy season
A truck driver who frequents the route told us: “It’s like driving on the moon – craters everywhere. My suspension gets wrecked every trip.”
As sunset paints Lake Kariba gold tonight, the tranquil waters mask a growing crisis – one that won’t be solved until someone fixes the road to paradise.
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