Matobo National Park: One of Zimbabwe’s oldest buildings has been destroyed
The Rhodes Stables, a National Monument and one of the oldest buildings in Zimbabwe, has been burned down by a fire on 31 May 2020. According to the Bulawayo City Council fire brigade, the building was found severely damaged with the wooden mezzanine floor consumed by fire and rafters collapsed, but roofing sheets still intact. The police are yet to establish the cause of the fire.
Rhodes Stables is located in Matobo National Park about 35 km south of Bulawayo in Matabeleland South. It was build in 1897 and is viewed as an important part of the architectural heritage of Zimbabwe. British businessman and mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes, who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896, used to shelter his horses in the building. According to the Matobo Conservation Society, the Rhodes Stables was about to be turned into a tourist site.
