The visually spectacular
landscape of granite outcrops at Matobo National Park, 50km from
the town of Bulawayo, was named Sindebele, meaning ‘bald heads’,
by warrior chief Mzilikazi. This land is sacred ground. Amongst
the cracks and crevices of the Matobo hills is the Ndebele’s
rain shrine to Mwari, the god of their ancestors.
Some of the peaks, like Shabe and Shumba Sham, are considered so sacred
that merely to point at them is considered unlucky. It is a region
of remarkable natural beauty as well as historical and cultural significance,
believed to have been inhabited for 40 000 years by man and beast.
The San (Bushmen) who lived in these hills some 2 000 years ago, left
behind a rich heritage in hundreds of rock paintings. Ovens and
other historic artefacts have been found in the many crevices and
caves. The rock paintings provide a very full picture of the lives
of foraging societies in the Stone Age and the way agricultural societies
came to replace them.
Matobo was proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 2003 for having the
highest concentration of rock art in southern Africa, and the highest
concentration of black eagles in the world.
The park also has a considerable population of both black and white
rhino, best viewed on a walking safari, and other species of game
include giraffe, zebra and various antelope species.
It is especially known for its large numbers of birds of prey. Besides
the black eagle there are 32 species of raptor.
The Matobo hills are the final resting place of the controversial
British Imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, who requested that
he be buried here. There are great views over the park from his
grave perched on top of a rock. The area is aptly known as ‘World’s
View’.
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