Ngoni Dapira

VUMBA’s antiquated but exquisite getaway hotel, White Horse Inn, was one of the big winners of the night at the recently held Zimbabwe CEO’s Network Awards in Harare.

The Zimbabwe CEOs Network Awards, one of the biggest awards for Zimbabwe’s top chief executive officers, aims to acknowledge excellence, professionalism and leadership accomplishments in Zimbabwe, including the non-profit organizations sector, and also recognize brands and leaders making a positive impact on the country’s economy.

The awards range from silver, gold, platinum and super platinum respectively. There were 58 winners for the individual categories and 47 winners for the organization categories.

White Horse Inn director Frank Marembo showing off their two awards in Harare.

The iconic Vumba hotel, White Horse Inn, bagged two awards on the night, a gold award for the Outstanding Service in Tourism, Hospitality and Travel, whilst its director Frank Marembo also scooped a gold award for the Outstanding Executive Leadership category.

“It’s official, we are record breakers!!! Thank you so much for supporting us, every booking and recommendation goes a long way and we are grateful to have you in our corner. White Horse Inn was awarded Gold for outstanding Service in the Hospitality Industry and I was awarded Gold in the Outstanding Executive Leadership Category. What recognition. I would like you to join me in celebrating with the entire staff who give 100% effort to host you and make White Horse Inn the pride and joy of the Vumba,” posted Marembo on the White Horse Inn Facebook platform after winning the accolades.

The exquisite evergreen garden area at White Horse Inn.

White Horse Inn located 17kms from Mutare, is one of the oldest Inns still viably operating in Zimbabwe. What started out as a cottage and country home in the 1930s has blossomed into a cozy, modern hotel which however still preserves its rich history as an antique country hotel.

Marembo said maintaining their rich legacy and striking a balance as a modern country hotel in an extremely competitive hospitality sector in Vumba has not been easy, which is why the national award and recognition comes as a good moral booster after a turbulent phase during the global Covid 19 pandemic lockdowns that brought the tourism and hospitality sector on its knees between 2020 and 2022.

It became a licensed hotel since 1964. The first owners of the hotel were the Chisholms, renowned hoteliers of their time. David Graham then took over around 1980 and expanded the hotel and the brand, running the hotel for the next three decades until he decided to add a business partner due to old age, which is when Marembo stepped up as a co-director.

Over the years, under Marembo the hotel added a conference facility and other rooms, and has also managed to maintain, if not upgrade its exquisite garden famous for its relaxing aura year round. The dining room claims a reputation for five star cuisines, not to mention a comprehensive wine list, a tradition set by the original hoteliers and maintained by the current owners.

On the other hand, the awards night was not just a big night for White Horse Inn but there were other Manicaland hoteliers and tour operators that also scooped accolades. In the awards category for organizations, the new kid on the block in Mutare’s hospitality sector, Enopat Hotel, which was officially opened in 2021, located in the low density suburb of Hospital Hill, also received a gold award for the Outstanding Hospitality Facility in the Eastern Highlands category.

At the same time, in the category for individual awards, Matthew Takura of Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare won a silver award for the Service Champion of the Year category, whilst Mutare born and bred tourism entrepreneur Kudzai Mundangepfupfu of Destiny Travels and Tours, based in Harare, scooped a gold award in the Outstanding Travel Agent Manager category.

“The nomination for the award by the Zimbabwe CEO Network serves as a validation of the impactful work being done by Destiny Travels and Tours in Zimbabwe. The commitment of Destiny Travels and Tours to provide travel tours locally, regionally and internationally is not going unnoticed  and we thank God for this recognition,” said Mundangepfupfu.

Mundangepfupfu who is the managing director of Destiny Travels and Tours has had a good year scooping different accolades after accolade. In May at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Harare business awards she was the first runner-up Businesswoman of the Year, then in July she was awarded the Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at the annual Megafest Business Awards and now a gold award from the Zimbabwe CEOs Network Awards.