Is Gokwe the ‘don’t go there’ place of Zimbabwe?

Gokwe town centre is located in north-west of the Midlands province. For a long time Gokwe has been known as the don’t go there place in Zimbabwe mainly because of its perceived remoteness, poor road networks, malaria, wild animals, witchcraft and the ever hot sun. However, if you happen to know Gokwe and if you have spoken to any people from Gokwe centre you will get a very different opinion.

I have written this post mainly because of the negative views I overheard at a recent business forum in Harare. From the discussions, I could gather that these people had no idea what Gokwe looks like. I had to explain that the place is not as bad as they read and there are so many services and facilities that make it as good as being in a place like Chegutu or Kwekwe. Even some locations like Gokwe’s Green Valley have very good houses that look a lot more suburban and posh than majority of houses in Harare and Bulawayo.

Few years ago, we used to have a football team from the local area playing in divisions 1 and 2 at different times. Not a surprise that we produced Zimbabwe international goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro who later played for Caps United, the Zimbabwe national team and a lot of other clubs in South Africa.

There are supermarkets, a hospital, pharmacies, dealerships, 2 high schools, 1 a boarding and many other things. The centre serves as the admin point for Gokwe South district.  It has several government ministry offices at the big complex building in town. There are similar offices at Nembudziya in Gokwe South district.

Accommodation for travellers is available and very affordable. As you get into Gokwe from Kwekwe, the first buildings you see at Kambasha on your left and right side are meant for travellers like yourself. I will not recommend any specific place or name because I have been warned by the webmasters that this is not a promotional site. Again there are many other privately run bed and breakfast, lodges and small hotels in and around Gokwe centre that you can see and utilise. Most of them are just average and not your 5star motels. Don’t even think of a 2 star lodge. These are just some basic places for you to rest and be secured overnight as you do your own business around the place.

Gokwe centre has decent halls and places for weddings, parties and celebrations. There are days when we have hosted some of the biggest parties thanks to these places.

Though we do not have any visible tourist and recreational facilities, apart from the least known Gandavaroyi Falls, Gokwe is the gateway to Zimbabwe’s wild west. The Zambezi delta stretches from the edges of Gokwe and here you see Africa and Zimbabwe’s biggest wild animals like elephant, lion and buffalo as you head towards Kariba and Zambezi area. I must mention that closer to Gokwe centre there are some zebras and other smaller wild animals that you can see at Chief Jahana communal area. These Zebras have been multiplying since they were introduced to the area few years ago. I am told now there are close to one thousand giving us Gokwe people something to smile and talk about..anything I left?

Till Next Time

Timothy, F, Gokwe Centre