City Lodge – diamond in the rough
by BERNARD CHIKETO DOWNTOWN Mutare is not an obvious setting for a classy accommodation facility. Yet City Lodge twinkles from there like a diamond in the rough.
Month: January 2026
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A sweet spot for conservation
In Zimbabwe’s eastern highlands, a banana giant is proving that a lucrative crop can coexist with a rich web of life. by BERNARD CHIKETO A FROG’S chorus is not the sound one expects to dominate a commercial fruit plantation.
RIVERS OF DEATH
Drowning toll rises as locals defy flood warnings in three tragic incidents by NORMA TSOPO DEADLY currents have claimed four lives in a grim 72-hour nightmare as locals play Russian roulette with mother nature’s fury – including a boy who clung to a cow’s tail to cross a flooded river.
MP uses constituency funds to buy shoes, booze
A guardian of public funds becomes their plunderer by BERNARD CHIKETO IN A CASE that lays bare the rot within Zimbabwe’s governance, a sitting legislator has been charged with brazenly stealing money meant for his poorest constituents.
Of rivers and revenues – how Odzani Falls marries power with tourism
by BERNARD CHIKETO IN THE rugged highlands of Manicaland, where the Odzani River carves its path through ancient rock, a quiet revolution is underway. For decades, Zimbabwe has been caught in a debilitating cycle of energy poverty, with power outages stifling industry and dimming homes for up to 18 hours a day.
Dwarfs in the mountains
by BERNARD CHIKETO NYANGA. A giant of mountains. The highest in Zimbabwe. It stands alone. Beautiful. Mystic.
Manicaland Bets on Pine Resin to Douse Old Conflicts
by BERNARD CHIKETO FOR decades, the vast pine plantations of Zimbabwe’s eastern highlands have been a landscape of latent wealth and recurring loss.
Stepping Stones – How a Footbridge Symbolises Incremental Progress in Manicaland
by BERNARD CHIKETO IN MANICALAND seasonal rains can sever communities from schools, clinics and markets so infrastructure is not an abstract concept but a determinant of daily life.
Zimbabwe tries to sober up its deadly roads
by BERNARD CHIKETO ZIMBABWE’S government has taken a long‑overdue step to tackle one of its most persistent road‑safety failures – the lax enforcement of drink‑driving laws.
The Unmanaged Predator: Feral Cats Pose a Quiet Threat to Zimbabwe’s Ecological Treasures
by BERNARD CHIKETO A SILENT ecological pressure is building in one of Zimbabwe’s major biodiversity hotspots. In tourist-favoured retreats of the Vumba and Chimanimani mountains, usually admired for their unique birds and rare wildlife, an unassuming domestic animal has become a significant conservation concern.