By Cuthbert Mashoko        

The existence of a super natural power which regulates events on, above and underneath the planet earth is a shared phenomenon across all religions.

As man interacts with the environment, if one spares a thought on who directs the meandering rivers between the mountains as they make way to the sea, who planted the ever green trees which flourish comfortably on top of rocks in the mountains, who curved the mountains and the hills into amazing shapes which are unique and gives this world an astounding view, one is forced to reckon the existence of an above power that is in control.

 Every corner of the world is abundantly endowed with marvelous creations to the extent that some creations have been so ‘natural’ to humanity such that we seize to recognize the amazing beauty of Mother Nature.

Maringire Township in Chivi District in Masvingo Province is such an amazing piece of art which goes beyond the imagination of humanity.

The mountain which can be viewed from a distance of twenty kilometers as one approaches Maringire Township from either side of the Chirundu-Beitbridge highway is shaped in a unique way which resembles the animal kingdom.

 A view of the mountain as one approaches Maringire Township from Masvingo tracking down to Beitbridge gives an image of a huge Elephant.

The enormous bald mountain’s top which can be viewed from a distance is molded in the image of the belly of an elephant. This resonates well with the rocks that are attached to the front of the mountain, which gives the mountain, an undoubted face of an elephant.

As if the elephant image is not enough, a view of the same mountain from a south western direction gives the image of a lion in its typical resting position.

This is just a wonderful piece of art which man cannot afford to resist.

The mountain is a sacred rich heritage site for the local people in Maringire and travelers who use the country’s busiest road Chirundu-Beitbridge road.

It is also a resting place for the departed ancestors who were made to rest in the caves that are in the mountain.

Historically a number of chieftainship battles were fought in the mountain .The famous Chivi Chief, Gandari, used the mountain to his advantage as it provided enough cover for his fighters and also from the top of the mountain Gandari’s fighters could spot any possible enemies which could attack his empire.

While the mountain is an amazing feature, very little had been done to market and publicize this rare attraction.

The mountain has the capacity of attracting tourists thereby helping in accruing the much needed foreign currency and turning around the economic fortunes of Maringire Township which is just positioned in the wings of the mountain.

The strategic positioning of the mountain to the Chirundu-Beitbridge highway that passes through Masvingo and the Capital Harare has to be exploited possibly by turning the mountain in to a resort center.

This will give an opportunity to motorists to pull out for a deserved road side rest. More so, the fact that the mountain is a stone throw from the gigantic Tokwe-Mukosi dam, which has been a favoured destination by tourists is a blessing in terms of publicising this unheralded wonder.

The Table Mountain in Cape Town in South Africa has been exploited into a top class tourist attraction .This has helped in generating foreign currency and employment creation.

It is against this background that the Guhudza Mountain in Chivi, with its remarkable rare elephant look has the potential of being a classical resort center much to the benefit of Maringire Township and Chivi district at large.

Cuthbert Mashoko is a teacher and a development practitioner. He writes here in his own capacity. He can be contacted on [email protected].