-The tourist who had gone missing in Matusadonha National Park on Saturday afternoon has been found alive, a wildlife official in Zimbabwe has revealed
John Cassim
Harare, Zimbabwe – A German tourist who went missing on Saturday afternoon in Matusadonha National Park which is 429 km northwest of the Zimbabwean capital Harare, has been found alive.
According to a post by Tinashe Farawo the spokesperson of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management (ZimParks) on X (formerly known as Twitter), the tourist had a car breakdown.
“A German tourist who had gone missing in Matusadonha National Park on Saturday afternoon has been found. He is alive and well. His car developed a mechanical fault,” Farawo said.
A conservation group called Roar Wildlife News posted on Facebook regarding the disappearance of the tourist, this was also confirmed by the ZimParks spokesperson.
Farawo and Roar Wildlife News did not give the name of the tourist.
Meanwhile sources in Matusadonha National Park have revealed the tourist was found Tuesday morning at Mukazapela River hungry and weary fortunately he had lots of water with him.
Tourists have disappeared in Zimbabwean parks in the past and a few have been found dead.
Some of the areas are believed to be sacred and wildlife officials have always emphasised that tourists walk in groups or remain in contact with tour guides or ZimParks officials during tours.
In January 2014 a tourist named Zayd Dada went missing in Mt Nyangani where he had gone biking.
He was never found and up to now, it is believed he fell 2593 meters to the foot of the mountain and died.
Another German tourist went missing in the same mountain and was found alive in the Glen Forest after four days.
Former Zimbabwean Cabinet Minister Tichaendepi Masaya lost twin daughters in the early 1980s in the same mountain, they have never been found.
Meanwhile, some tourists went missing in the early 1980s as a result of abductions and murders by some dissidents.
The abductions ended soon after the Unity Accord between the then-warring parties ZANU and PF ZAPU.
Matusadona National Park is a national park situated on the southern shore of Lake Kariba.
The park takes its name from the local Matuzviadonha Hills. Matuzviadonha is a Shona term that literally means ‘falling feaces.”
It was established in 1975 and stretches up to 1400 square meters.