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Mount Nyangani

Peter Matambanadzo recently in Nyanga
Tourist Mr Zayd Dada, who went missing on January 4 after he went hiking up Mount Nyangani, could have slipped and fallen into a cliff or ridges of the mountain and died.

Nyanga National Parks area manager Mr Onias Bepe said although the search for Zayd is ongoing, there are fears he might have died.

“Assumptions are that because of the fast weather changes that can switch from sunny skies to thick fog he could have slipped and fallen into the cliffs or ridges of the mountain,” Mr Bepe said.

Outlining the general rules tourists are expected to abide by when hiking, Mr Bepe said tourists are prohibited from climbing the mountain after midday.

He said when weather conditions are misty, tourists are also encouraged not to make remarks and exclamations while hiking in line with traditional beliefs.

Zayd went hiking with his wife and another couple. His wife and the couple turned back to their holiday chalets after getting exhausted midday through the hike but Zayd continued with the expedition on his own.

According to a Parks official, Zayd was spotted by other hikers who were on their way down while walking along a stream on the mountain and he was never seen again.

“They talked to him and he indicated that he was alright and that was the last time anyone saw him,” a Parks official who was present on the day he went missing said.

At least 300 000 tourists have climbed up Mount Nyangani in the last 20 years.

Last year alone 22 000 tourist visited the mountain and 16 000 went hiking up Mount Nyangani, the highest peak in Zimbabwe at 2 593 metres.

Since independence, three people have disappeared on the mountain, believed by locals to be sacred. Two of them were twin daughters of former Cabinet Minister Mr Tichaendepi Masaya, who went missing in 1982 and have not been found.

The third was a German tourist who was found in the Glen Eagles forest four days after he went missing.