Beautiful Zimbabwe no more dangerous than Cork at height of Northern crisis
That conflict is bloody and bitter with the ruling political party accusing the opposition of selling out to Tony Blair and white farming interests while the sole opposition party accuses Robert Mugabe of selling out to the Chinese.
This we all know. But what you may not know, for instance, is that probably the best hotel in the southern part of Africa is in Harare, the capital. There are many more first-class hotels, restaurants, golf clubs (15 in Harare alone), as well as fishing and game camps for a visitor to enjoy - even if tourism is at a very low ebb at the moment.
Why? Because people fear for their lives. Nonsense. Is it safer to go the Johannesburg - the murder capital of the world, according to UN statistics - or Capetown, aka ‘Knifeville?’
Zimbabwe is a terrible place to go to now in the same way that Ireland was a few years ago. Remember the bombs going off in Belfast and shattering all the windows in Cork and Dublin - or the no-go area otherwise known as the Ring of Kerry?
What mad tourist would have visited Ireland then?
Tourists looking at Zimbabwe might wonder why they should go to play golf or catch trout up in the beautiful mountains, or go tiger fishing on the Kariba, or white water rafting down the Zambezi.
Why indeed should they smoke cheap cigarettes or drink cheap, ice- cold beer, or dine on the best range-fed T-bone steak east of Texas? Or, or, or...
Zimbabwe is very labour intensive. One four-ball round of golf at Royal Harare, for instance, could support quite a few local people - social welfare is far removed from the Irish system. The local people have to find the means to clothe and feed their families with limited resources, so your caddie or barman would welcome you with open arms.
While you are enjoying your favourite hobby, your fees help people in need to help themselves.
No, I have no connection with tourism or any other commercial interests in that beautiful country.
Pat Power
33 St Joseph Square
Fermoy
Co Cork
