The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
THE road to Lavida Villa is very harsh, especially during the rainy season.
At times, when one is trying to access Mambale, a village in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South Province, they can feel as if they are travelling to the ends of the earth itself.
On this journey, one tends to forget about such road landmarks like stop signs. Here, you are directed by word of mouth and told to turn left by a certain baobab tree or at a Y-junction, curve towards the path leading to a mountain looming on the horizon.
Mambale
Of course, everyone knows koGinger, the home of Lovemore “Lovers” Moyo, the man behind Lavida Villa.
As soon as one catches a glimpse of Lovers’ green and yellow home itself, however, it makes it much easier to stomach the rough and tumble journey on the way to the villa.
Tucked in a usual dry corner of Mangwe, Lavida Villa is an oasis of beauty and hope in a notoriously arid district.
For Lovers, the villa offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg and Bulawayo city life where he spends most of his time working. For villagers in Mambale, the yellow and green structure is a ray of hope, a slice of heaven that was dropped in the midst, perhaps to remind what is possible with hard work and perseverance.
To put it simply, Lavida Villa is a thing of beauty, a finely chiselled piece of architecture that now shines like a beacon in remote Mambale. Like moths to a light, about 2 000 people, including his family and friends from all over Plumtree, Bulawayo and South Africa, found themselves attracted to the villa, travelling all the way to attend the official party celebrating Lovers’ new home.
The state-of-the-art modern villa has a wraparound terrace and amazing panoramic view of one of the most remote and rural parts of Mangwe.
Powered by a solar system the lights are never off at the villa, while internet access is also guaranteed. The terrace on its own stretches 1 000 square metres while the interior of the enviable home is designed to enhance the supply of natural daylight, and to impress with stylish modern simplicity.
Perhaps the highlight of the entire home is the swimming pool, located smack dead in the middle of the villa. In an area, where most villagers used to travel hours on end in search of drinking water, the sparkling blue waters of the pool, sunk so immaculately into the brown earth of Mambale, might seem like a cruel taunt, a jester crude joke at their expense.
However, Lovers has made sure that while he lives in luxury, his neighbours also live in relative comfort, bringing running water and electricity to their households.
For Lovers, his home is not a great display of wealth, but the mere endeavour of a man who wanted to spend his days at home in comfort.
“I want to live a comfortable life and by building like this in my rural home area, I’m not showing off to people. In fact, it’s the opposite because I would rather inspire people. I want a comfortable life so that when I’m at home, I don’t want to feel lonely or out of place.
That is the real reason why I built that place,” he told Sunday Life in an interview.
According to Lovers, the home took less than six months to build. What was merely just another rural home, has now become a retreat that every member of the “Ginger” clan, famous name in the area, is proud of. For Lovers, it presents a necessary respite from urban life.
“I built it for myself and my family to have that high quality of life that people usually associated with urban areas. I don’t want to be the kind of person who, when home, just comes to sleep for one night and then runs away the next morning. I want to be truly at home amongst my people that’s why whenever I am in Zimbabwe, I never stay in town but instead I stay in my rural home that has the same amenities I would find in an urban set-up. As you can see, I have been here in my rural home for the past few days,” he said.
A close friend of Lovers, South African actor Hamilton Dlamini, said it had been clear from their earliest days together that Lovers would build a home that his parents would be proud of, as he was not only their jewel but an asset to the entire community.
“In Johannesburg when you arrive nobody knows you and it was the same for Lovers. When he arrived, some would view him in a bad way, you know how it is with us black people. But I embraced him and he became my friend over time and we found ourselves brainstorming ideas. He found himself working with a security company and he grew up in business.
“Our friendship has always been solid and I don’t remember ever having a dispute with him. When there’s something bothering me, I tell him and you can remember at that time I was an actor but I wasn’t as big now. Lovers didn’t even care I was an actor but he was interested in my personality as a human being. He is a humble human being but as you can see now, he is doing big things,” he said.
The Member of Parliament for Mangwe Constituency, Hlalani Mguni, said Lovers’ home should serve as an inspiration for others based abroad.
“What he has done has inspired youth in this area, because they look at his home and they also think if they can work hard, they can build something and bring in development to their home area. They can improve the lives of their families and even those of their neighbours.
What is good should be admired. When one child is able to drastically transform his home and the surrounding area in such a way, as a child from the province who is doing well out there, it should hit you in the heart and you should look to do the same.
“Whether you’re in SA or the UK or USA, you should know that your days in those lands one day will come to an end and you will need to come back home.
They say home is where the heart is so you should know there when you come back upon retirement, you are coming back to a home that has electricity, running water and other amenities that will allow you to rest in peace.
We must never be deceived by enjoyment because that is all temporary and it will come to an end one day. What Lovers has done here is a great example to you people both here and abroad,” she said.
