Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
BULAWAYO is smack in the middle of the festive season, but one thing is missing, Hartsfield Tshisanyama which has been a part of the city’s festivities for the past four years.
After the Tshisanyama was earlier this year shut down due to a culmination of rental disputes and complaints from residents around the area, the city has not been the same.
However, hope has been rekindled as a video of renovations taking place at the famous venue circulated on social media recently.
People have been giddy with anticipation that their favourite place will soon reopen for them to have drinks and fun in an open plan environment with music thumping out of the boot of their cars.
And indeed it seems that the reopening is imminent as Mduduzi Mdlongwa, speaking on behalf of Orlando Shipping, the company that has taken over the place, said they were looking at opening before Friday.
He said the revamped Tshisanyama will have four areas of pleasure.
“We want to have a lounge area where people can watch football, the actual Tshisanyama area, a kids area where there shall be jungle gyms and lastly Kudu Bar for the bar experience.
“For now, we shall have two functional places, the kiddies’ area and the Tshisanyama. The other two will be opened next year,” said Mdlongwa.
He said once it starts running, the place will be opened as from Wednesday to Sunday from 10AM to 11PM, but during the festive season, they will open every day.
The reason why Hartsfield Tshisanyama has been so popular is that its location is convenient for everyone. Just on the fringes of the City Centre, it’s just a short drive to the epicentre of pleasure to kick start the night before revellers trickle to the various clubs and bars.
Also, it had spacious parking that enabled friends and families to gather around their cars, open their boots, sit, drink and be merry. And what is a Tshisanyama without braaid meat which was one of the things that many were attracted to.
However, when it closed down, revellers had to look for alternatives, but the options did not have the same vibe that Hartsfield Tshisanyama exuded with ease.
The alternatives Queens Park East’s 747, Blue Turkey in Fourwinds, Mpopoma’s Esibayeni, KoChigumira in Luveve and Red Wood were all far from the city centre. Some had pricey meat which was also of lesser quality.
The lush green lawn at 747 has however, always been an attraction to the place as it provides a secluded backdrop for many people. For those who have families this is the best place to be because in the afternoon, children can play on the lawn, but for the party lovers the venue can prove too small.
A drive towards Fourwinds suburb will lead one to Blue Turkey which again is a bit far and with people drinking and driving, this could be a major hazard on that stretch of road, all in the name of having fun. Still, the experience of sitting in one’s car sipping on your favourite drinks is done away with as patrons have to park their cars outside the joint. This is something that Hartsfield Tshisanyama had an advantage over all other competitors.
Esibayeni comes closer to giving that experience but when it’s busy, the place can overflow with revellers. Parking inside often becomes limited with the sheer numbers of people, forcing most to park their cars outside which is not safe especially during the festive season considering the location.
As a result, city party lovers are impatiently waiting for December 22 when the Tshisanyama will re-open and hopefully inject more energy to the already teeming euphoric festive atmosphere in Bulawayo.