Things to do in Chitungwiza

Culture · Off Chitungwiza Road

A working co-operative of Shona stone sculptors, carving serpentine and springstone in the open and selling straight from the yard.

Local tip: Go on a weekday when people are actually working, and talk to the sculptor rather than the front-of-house seller. Prices are a fraction of a Harare gallery's and you are buying from the person who made it.

Landmark · Zengeza

The Olympic-size pool complex built for the 1995 All-Africa Games, and still the best swimming facility outside Harare's private clubs.

Local tip: It is a genuine piece of national sporting infrastructure sitting in a high-density suburb, which tells you something about what Chitungwiza was meant to become. Check opening times locally — they change.

Landmark · Zengeza

Chitungwiza's football ground, and the home of a support culture that is out of all proportion to the city's size.

Local tip: A Sunday league match here is the cheapest and most enjoyable way to understand the town. Go with someone local, take small notes and nothing you mind losing.

Food · Seke and St Mary's

The city's produce and goods markets, where a large share of the household economy actually happens.

Local tip: Cheaper than anything in Harare on vegetables, and the traders here supply the capital's markets. Go early, bring small denominations, and learn 'marii?' before you arrive.

Neighborhood · Central Chitungwiza

One of the three original townships amalgamated into Chitungwiza in 1978, and still the city's most established residential area.

Local tip: Walk it on a Saturday. Zengeza, St Mary's and Seke were three separate places before they became one city, and the seams are still visible if you look.

Neighborhood · North towards Harare

The artery that defines Chitungwiza — kombi ranks, roadside trade and the daily tide of commuters running to and from the capital.

Local tip: Ride it northbound at 6am once, just to understand what you are signing up for. It is the single most informative hour you can spend in this city.