by Ruth
（Continue from last week）
Enduring the special African massage, we could only say the government must be quite happy to have done a superb job of harvesting as much money as it could with this road.
The combination of our immigration experience and the state of the road left us thinking about the same underlying issue from two distinct angles: corruption and poor governance.
At the border, we had witnessed money disappearing into an individual’s pocket. On the road, we were told about a government contract being given to people who lacked the skills to complete the job. One involved $30. The other involved infrastructure. But both had the same unfortunate smell: money and responsibility not ending up where they were supposed to.
The tragedy of corruption isn’t about someone taking money, but about what the money was supposed to accomplish. To a tourist, $30 might be a small amount. Yet, multiplying questionable payments by thousands of visitors leads to a very profitable pocket.
Likewise, money allocated to repair a road is supposed to produce a pleasant ride. Instead, we bounced around, wondering whether our luggage had been secured enough to survive the journey.
What made the entire experience frustrating was that Zimbabwe itself is spectacular. Victoria Falls is extraordinary. Hwange is home to incredible wildlife. The landscapes are beautiful, and the people we encountered were warm and welcoming.
Yet the country’s potential seems to wrestle with its problems.
The world-class natural attractions sit alongside roads that look like they’ve lost a fight with a herd of elephants.
Tourists arrive with foreign currency, yet some official processes still operate with a “cash into the pocket” mentality.
With all the valuable natural resources, including coal, infrastructure remains neglected.
It’s a strange contradiction.
Eventually, we reached Hwange Safari Lodge. And then came the reason we had travelled to Hwange in the first place. The safari wildlife, including the elephant, the lion, the giraffe, the zebra, and others. No tour buses because of the terrible road, which means very few visitors. The huge Hwange National Park almost became our private playground. For this reason alone, we almost wish those enormous potholes would never get repaired.
Zimbabwe reminded us that travel is rarely only about the postcard version of a country. As observant visitors, we see the spectacular alongside the frustrating and the beautiful next to the broken.
