Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is the only waterfall in the world with a length of more than a kilometer and a height of more than 100 metres. The noise of Victoria Falls can be heard from a distance of 40 km while the spray and mist from the falling water can be seen from a distance of 50km. No wonder that the local tribes used to call the waterfall Mosi-o-Tunya “The smoke that thunders".Scottish missionary & famous explorer of Africa David Livingstone discovered it in 1855 & named it after Queen Victoria.

Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba is the world's largest man-made lake and reservoir by volume and was completed in 1959. The filling of the lake between 1958-1963 caused more than 20 earthquakes of greater than 5 magnitude on the Richter Scale. It also led to Operation Noah, a 5‐year wildlife rescue operation which successfully relocated over 6,000 animals, mostly to the Matusadona National Park whilst Lake Kariba was filling up following completion of the dam wall.

The Casino Hotel

The Victoria Falls Casino Hotel was constructed in 1966 on the site immediately next to the Victoria Falls Hotel due to growing tourism demands. The casino was the first in the country and an added attraction advertised even by the Falls Hotel itself.

The Flamboyant Motel

This motel first opened for business in 1963 in the pioneer town of Fort Victoria. Although the town was renamed Masvingo following the coming of Zimbabwe in 1980 it is still operating and is owned by the Regency Hotels group.

St Christophers Car Hire

The Jameson Hotel

The Jameson Hotel is one of the grand old dames that have been part of the capital city's history and social scene since 1958. It was originally part of the Ridgeway Group.

United Touring Company

Once one of the largest and oldest touring companies in the country. Sadly UTC went bankrupt in 2011.

The Karoi Hotel

The name Karoi was reportedly a contraction of the local Shona word 'Kamuroyi' meaning “little witch”. Tribal folklore has it that witches in the area were once given a form of trial which included their immersion in the local river.

Other Hotels - 1960s

An advert from the 1960s highlighting other hotels in Salisbury for the more budget conscious visitor.

The Victoria Falls Hotel

The original Victoria Falls Hotel was built in 1904 & intended only as temporary quarters for railway employees. However it quickly expanded & proved impossible to close. By the beginning of 1905, tourist traffic to the falls had increased & it was necessary to enlarge the accommodation. The design for the next reconstruction of the hotel were supplied by Frank Scott and carried out between 1914-17. The hotel continues to operate today & is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World Group.

Ottoman Bank

The Ottoman Bank was founded in 1856 in Constantinople (now Istanbul). In 1958 the bank opened a number of branches in Southern Africa including Rhodesia. In 1969 the Bank sold its branches in London, Cyprus, Sudan, Jordan, Palestine, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Kenya and Rhodesia to National and Grindlays Bank.

The Montclair Hotel

The Montclair Hotel was built in 1949 & originally known as the Dannakay Hotel. In 1970 Mr & Mrs Lound bought and renamed it the Montclair after their faithful dog. A few years later it was bought by the Southern Sun Hotels Group & in 1977 a casino was added at a cost of Rh$100,000. In 1987, the Zimbabwe Sun Hotels Group took over management of the hotel and called it the Montclair Casino Hotel.

Rhodesia is Super

A poster used by Rhodesia's Tourism department during the late 1970s, the “Rhodesia is super,” campaign was aimed primarily at potential visitors from South Africa. It offered some excellent value all-inclusive packages such as a roundtrip airfare from South Africa, six nights at a four‐star hotel in Victoria Falls with breakfast and a boat trip on the Zambezi from the equivalent of just US$219.

Chimanimani Hotel

The Chimanimani Hotel is based at the foothills of the Chimanimani Mountains, surrounded by beautiful gardens. Mr and Mrs Townsend-Green began construction in 1951 and the hotel was officially opened on the 21st March, 1953.

The Palace Hotel

A 1941 advert for the Palace Hotel in Bulawayo. The famous explorer Henry Morton Stanley is said to have stayed in this hotel in 1897, and is rumoured to have said back then that it was "scarcely suitable for a gentleman let alone ladies."

The State Lottery

The idea of a State Lottery first appeared in 1929 when railwaymen were especially hard hit by the depression. In an attempt to raise funds for needy cases, the trade unionist leader & MP Jackie Keller, ran the ‘Unity Stakes’. This unofficial lottery was a success, benefiting many charities & poor individuals. The State Lotteries Act was later passed in March 1935 making sweepstakes legal under Government control in S.Rhodesia. The first official draw was held on the 20th December 1935.

Karina Textiles

Karina was first established in 1959 under the name Ferguson Shiers, manufacturing carpets in Umtali. The company was expanded 10 years later when it ventured into knitting yarn manufacturing. Sadly this once famous local brand went into liquidation in 2014

United Tobacco Co

In 1902 the UK's Imperial Tobacco Company & the United States’ American Tobacco Company agreed to form a joint venture, the British-American Tobacco Company Ltd. In 1904 the company bought out a number of South African tobacco companies including Holt & Holt Ltd, Acme Cigarette Company, and the British Tobacco Company (South Africa) Ltd. The new company, who’s operations covered South Africa, Rhodesia and Nyasaland, was named the United Tobacco Companies Ltd.

Menezes Supermarket

A Portuguese family owned supermarket which was well known in Salisbury at the time.

Speciss College

Speciss College first opened its doors in 1958 and is still the largest private educational institution in the country.

Barclays Bank

Barclays originated from the Bank of Africa (founded 1879), which had established branches as early as 1895 in Rhodesia and was acquired by the National Bank of South Africa in 1912. In 1925, the National Bank of South Africa was acquired by Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas). In Rhodesia it eventually became Barclays Bank International and was later incorporated as Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe Ltd in June, 1981 which at the time had more than 50 branches.

Hotel Cecil - Bulawayo

A 1950s ad for Hotel Cecil in Bulawayo. This hotel first opened in the 1900s. During the 1920’s, the proprietor was W Scott-Rodger. He had over 40 years experience in both catering & hotel service. For many of those years he operated in connection with the dining saloons of the railways, and was manager of several famous hotels in Southern Rhodesia including: the Victoria Falls Hotel, the Grand Hotel & the Carlton Hotel. He always made cuisine the key focus point for each one.

CABS

The Old Mutual Building Society was registered in South Africa in 1888. It began insurance operations in Salisbury and Bulawayo in 1900. In 1954 it changed its name to the Old Mutual Building of Central Africa. On 1 July 1961, the society merged with the Central African Building Society and Bulawayo & National Building Society. The new amalgamation retained the name of Central African Building Society & is still operating today as CABS Zimbabwe a part of the Old Mutual Group.

Supersonic

In the early 1950s two Canadian born brothers, Jacques and Arthur Chassay, formed a radio manufacturing company called Chassay Bros Pvt Ltd in Bulawayo Rhodesia. They became well-known for producing portable radios, tape decks, and very high quality HiFi equipment until the 1980s, all of which were sold under the brandname Supersonic. Most of the parts they used were designed and manufactured in-house.

Netherlands Bank

The Netherlands Bank was founded in 1888 in Amsterdam as the Nederlandsche Bank en Credietvereeniging voor Zuid-Afrika. The bank split in 1951, renaming its South African part as Netherlands Bank of South Africa Ltd. In August 1967, these operations were sold to the Netherlands Bank of Rhodesia & in 1972 the company changed its name to Rhodesia Banking Corporation Limited & then Rhobank in 1979. In 1981 the new government bought a majority stake & renamed it the Zimbabwe Banking Corporation.

The Enkeldoorn Hotel

The “Republic of Enkeldoorn” was a small town 85 miles from Salisbury and there life centered primarily on farming and the Enkeldoorn Hotel or, to be more precise, on its pub. If a visitor was accepted, the bartender will stamp an Enkeldoorn visa on his passport. If not, he was liable to be tossed into a makeshift “jail.” Henry Cook was the hotel's owner & "Prime Minister" of the town while Buck Rogers was the President of the "Republic"—as an inscription on his bar stool used to state.

Biskit Chocolate

The Charhons confectionary company was originally established in the Midlands by Mateo Charon whose parents arrived in Southern Rhodesia around 1920. The firm was sold many years later to Willards which was finally absorbed into Cairns Food Ltd who still produce those famous Charhons biscuits and chocolates today.

Terreskane Hotel

This hotel in Salisbury was once a popular 'watering hole' especially for Rhodesian servicemen on R&R in the 1970s.

Kaya Nyama Steaks

This restaurant which was in Salisbury's Park Lane Hotel, became renowned for its delicious albeit huge steaks. so big in fact they supplied guests with branded 'Doggy Bags' to take your steak home in if you couldn't quite finish it. Sadly both the hotel & this restaurant are no longer.

Puzey & Payne

Puzey & Payne was established in 1897, becoming one of the earliest businesses to be founded in Bulawayo. The company was started by Leonard Puzey & his wife Gertrude Payne. “Puzeys,” as it affectionately became known, first sold ox drawn wagons & bicycles as well as offering repair services. It later became the sole sales & service agent for a variety of car brands in Rhodesia including: Rolls Royce, Dodge, Leyland, Wolsey, Austin, Hudson, Morris, BSA, Morgan, Jaguar, Ford, Mazda, Mini & VW.

The Bamboo Inn

The much-loved Bamboo Inn was situated in the old Yorkshire building on Manica Road in Salisbury and was famous for its delicious Cantonese style cooking. It was established by a Mr Kee in the 1950s. Sadly the restaurant closed in 1999.

Rennies Tablets

These indigestion tablets were originally invented by a Briton called John Rennie & were first launched in 1931.They remain a popular antacid globally to this day. Im sure you remember the ad on Rhodesian TV ' Suck a Rennies !'

Eric Davis

Eric Davis was a high-end men’s clothing store in First Street Salisbury. One of its radio jingles used to go: “It pays in the end to get the best in the beginning!” Sadly this well known landmark no longer exists.

Milk Advert - 1979

A Dairboard advert from 1979 promoting the consumption of milk.The forerunner to Dairibord was the amalgamation of Matebeleland, Midlands and Mashonaland Co-operatives to form the Dairy Marketing Board (DMB) in 1952. In 1956, the DMB assumed responsibility over Rhodesia Co-operative Milk Company & Bulawayo Creamery. DMB was privatized in 1997 when the government sold its 75% stake to private investors.

Kingstons

In the late 1940’s the Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Co Ltd sold off its book stores in both Southern and Northern Rhodesia. Its successor was Kingstons which was the place to find that favourite book or vinyl. Today, Kingston Holdings Ltd is now 51% owned by the Zimbabwean Government. Kingstons is currently the holding company for Art Stationers, Kingstons Ltd, Textbook Sales, Kingston Properties, Queens Stationers, R Johnstone & Co and Kingston Entertainment.

Olivine Industries

Rhodesian Industries was established by Harry & Salman Margolis in 1931 in Nyazura, before they moved to Salisbury. Their family originated from Lithuania & of the nine children born between 1875 and 1898, three brothers ended up in Rhodesia: Harry, Salman & Berel. In the 1940’s the company developed it’s most prestigious product Olivine oil. It later produced margarine (Helio) & bakers fats. In the 1970s it was renamed Olivine Industries & in 1982 it became a joint-venture with Heinz.

Lobels Bakery

Lobels was established in 1948 under the name Wonder Bakery (Pvt) Ltd. The company was established by the Lobel Brothers in Bulawayo baking both bread and biscuits. The company later became Lobel Brothers (Pvt) Ltd and then Lobels Bread (Pvt) Ltd in 2000. In 2002 the company discontinued bread production & installed a sweet manufacturing facility before changing its name to Lobels Biscuits & Sweets.

Gremlin Drive-In Restaurant

Gremlins was the spot to head to when hungry for a quick bite on Friday or Saturday night. In 1977 a chocolate milkshake would cost you the princely sum of just 16 cents, while a steak, chips and peas was just one Rhodesian dollar.

Plate Glass Industries

The Plate Glass Company was founded in Bulawayo in 1949. It began as a merchandiser of glass & timber. Over the years it diversified into a wide range of products and services to include timber boards, cement, cement products, hardware, plumbing, glass, windscreens, wood & glass-based value-added products. It was listed on the Rhodesian Stock Exchange in 1969 & remains one of the top ten companies in the country.

Beverley Building Society

Beverley Building Society was once the country's second largest mortgage issuer after CABS. In 2004 it was acquired by the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe.

Kel77 soaps

Lorraine Wine

The Pioneers brought grapevines to Rhodesia in 1890. Commercial production dates back to the early 1960s following trade sanctions imposed by Britain after Rhodesia declared UDI in 1965. Worringham was one of the country's earliest & most successful vineyards despite initially being plagued by grape hungry warthogs. It is still situated in Essexvale (now Esigodoni).

Castle Lager

Prior to incorporation in the year 1895, Castle Brewery had operations in Cape Town to serve the steady expansion of a settler community from the mid-17th century. The company's earliest international venture was in 1910 when it founded Rhodesian Breweries in Southern Rhodesia. This subsidiary spearheaded SAB's initial international expansion efforts, having established a new brewery in Northern Rhodesia, (now Zambia) in the early 1950s.

Bezant - 1960s

A 1960s advert for Bezant orange juice. It came in a can and was pretty damn sweet. It also became the name of an infamous drinking game.

David Whitehead Ltd

David Whitehead Limited was established as a textile mill in Hartley, Southern Rhodesia, in 1952. The company was established as part of a strategy to set up textile mills in the British colonies by a Lancaster-based textile company, David Whitehead UK. Following the takeover of David Whitehead UK by Lonrho in 1970 the latter acquired a 65% holding in David Whitehead Textiles Rhodesia.

Kemsley & Konchel

This store was originally formed after WWII by two Royal Air Force friends George Kemsley and Mervyn Dawes and started life as an electrical spares & repair shop on Gordon Avenue in Salisbury called Kemsley & Dawes. As business grew Mervyn’s father arrived to help manage the accounts. Later on Dick Konschel joined the firm, as did Don Brown, another ex RAF friend.

The Marriage Bureau

Salisbury's Marriage Bureau was a matchmaking agency whose clients ranged from shop girls and debutantes to widowers and war veterans. All seeking security, social acceptance, or just simply love.

Creamline Taxis

Creamline and Rixi were the most well-known taxi services in Salisbury and each had a large fleet of Renault-4 vehicles. French-made cars dominated Rhodesia's streets from 1968 until 1980 as somehow they managed to side-step sanctions, although their low fuel consumption also helped. Rhodesians nicknamed the Renault-4 the 'Noddy Car'.

Greatermans Dept Store

Thomas Meikle was born in Scotland & emigrated to South Africa in 1869 with his parents & siblings. He worked initially as a transport rider, then as a gold prospector, finally settling as a trader in Mashonaland. In 1894 he set up stores in Bulawayo and Gwelo. By the mid 1970’s Thomas Meikle Stores was a thriving Group of Department Stores and supermarkets, having acquired the Greatermans and Checkers brands in the country. Thomas was also the founder of the famous Meikles Hotel in Salisbury.

MacCullagh & Bothwell

A 1940s advert for uniforms by MacCullagh & Bothwell. This well-known clothing store was started by Isaac McCullagh and Samuel Bothwell, both from Northern Ireland. The mens business partnership began in Kimberley South Africa in 1893 as “Men’s and Boy’s Complete Outfitters and Boot Merchants.” In 1897, Sam Bothwell was on the first train to Bulawayo and opened his first store there within weeks of arriving in Southern Rhodesia.

Founders Building Society

Founders Building Society was incorporated in Rhodesia in 1961 and received its Certificate of Registration on 1st July 1961. The institution changed its name from Founders to Intermarket Building Society on 1st October 2002.

Embassy cigarettes

By the 1950s, Rhodesia was producing over 100 million pounds of tobacco each year, 99% of it Virginia flue-cured tobacco. At its peak, Rhodesia produced 20% of the world's flue-cured tobacco.

Rhodesian Railways

Construction of the country's first railway line (Bulawayo to Francistown) was completed in Oct1897 and the Umtali line in Feb 1898. The link between Salisbury and Bulawayo was operational from Oct 1902. In 1905 the line from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls was completed & reached the Congo border in Dec1909. From 1927 the entire system was run by the Rhodesia Railways Company which became the National Railways of Zimbabwe in 1980.

Schweppes Central Africa Ltd

Schweppes was born in Geneva Switzerland in 1783 under the guidance of Jacob Schweppes when he discovered a way to manufacture carbonated mineral water. Schweppes Central Africa Limited was listed on the Rhodesian stock market in 1945 following the merger of Spa Foods with Schweppes International

Sanders Dept Store

Sanders was a very popular department store in First Street Salisbury (now Harare). Its famous 'Bird Cage' tea room was one of the 'meeting places' in the city and used to serve up delicious chocolate cakes. Sadly the store no longer exists.

Mazoe Orange Juice

Arthur Sturgess started a small soft drink factory in Bulawayo around the 1930s. As he experimented with his small soft drink factory he noted a glaring gap in the local market for a real fruit juice. He reasoned that the most readily available fruits were oranges from the Mazoe Valley. However Sturgess struggled to come up with a name for the orange squash he had developed until his wife suggested naming the drink Mazoe, and thus a national treasure was born.

The Dairy Den

The Dairy Den was the go-to-place for ice cream. Anyone remember their famous choc-99s? which only cost 10 cents in the 1970s.

Ludgates Dept Store

Ludgates was a department store in Gwelo, owned and operated by brothers Ted Prior Morgan and Fred Hilton Morgan after WWII. Ted’s wife Georgina Daisy Morgan also worked in the store. In the 1960’s Ludgates was sold to OK Bazaars.

Contessa Liqueur

In April 1944, P J Joubert Ltd was registered in Bulawayo & initially, its activities were centred around the sale & distribution of imported spirits, liqueurs and wines. In 1946, the company changed its name to African Distillers (Rhodesia) Ltd. During that same year a distillery was acquired in Umtali & the local production of a range of spirits (including Contessa) began. In 1951 the firm was listed on the stock exchange & in 1974, it moved to its present headquarters at Stapleford.

Silhouette Studios

The first modelling studio to be established in Rhodesia it remains one of the premier agencies in the country.

Cuthberts Shoe Store

The firm of WM Cuthbert & Co, shoe merchants, was established in Johannesburg in 1882. It soon established a strong brand and opened stores across Southern Africa including Rhodesia.

Rhonat Insurance

In 1974, the Assurance Company of Rhodesia, was renamed the Rhodesia National Farmers Union Insurance Society. Given this development, the major line of business became farming. As a result, the Assurance Company of Rhodesia became known informally as Rhodesia National Insurance (RhoNat). After the country became Zimbabwe in 1980, the name of the company changed to Zimnat Insurance Company.

Meikles Hotel

In 1913, Thomas Meikle decided to pursue his vision of constructing a hotel on the influential site of Cecil Square (now Africa Unity Square) in the heart of Salisbury (now Harare). The hotel was officially opened on the 5th November, 1915. By 1916, an annex was added bringing the capacity to 160 rooms.

Haddon & Sly

Haddon & Sly Ltd was first established in Bulawayo in 1894 as a general dealer by two traders WH Haddon & JW Sly. In the early days it provided a tea room & ladies rest room for country customers who had journeyed into Bulawayo by wagon. But Haddon died in 1921 & Sly in 1925. Thus the business was taken over by family members. In 1910, the company opened a men’s outfitting establishment on Manica Road, Salisbury & in 1928, it opened a second branch in Salisbury followed later by one in Gwelo.

Leopards Rock Hotel

The most popular hotel in the Vumba mountains is the Leopard Rock Hotel. Described by the Queen Mother as 'the most beautiful place in Africa' when she visited with her daughter in 1953, the hotel is a must-visit for one of the most beautiful golf landscapes in the country and possibly throughout the world. It has also played host to an array of film and sports personalities.

Dairiboard

The Dairy Marketing Board was established on the 1st Oct 1952 and was responsible for the manufacture and orderly sale of dairy products across the country. In 1997 the state owned company was privatised.

Holiday Inn - Bulawayo

This hotel opened its doors in 1973 & was the first Holiday Inn franchise in the country. The next one opened in Harare in 1983 followed by the Holiday Inn Mutare in 2017.

Mark Manolios Sports

Mark Manolios was national hockey coach from 1970-85, developing world-class players and leading several highly successful overseas tours, the like of which have never been matched by any Zimbabwean sports team in a global- class arena. He also attended nine Olympic Games in the capacity as coach or administrator. Mark Manolios Sports shop opened on the 13th August 1973 at the Avondale Shopping Centre in Salisbury.

Lifebuoy Soap

Lifebuoy was introduced by Lever Brothers in 1895. Originally a carbolic soap containing phenol, different varieties were later introduced without the medicinal carbolic smell, such as the coral-coloured Lifebuoy during the late 1950s.

Alick Stuart

An 1940s advert for Hercules bicycles. Alick Stuart ran a popular sporting goods & bicycle store in Bulawayo which operated during the first half of the 20th Century. At one stage he also owned a bus company that serviced the Bulawayo - Fort Victoria route.

Grantham Ltd Salisbury

Another Rhodesian advert from 1940. The Morris '8 ' was the hugely successful replacement for the Morris Minor & first shown to the British public at the 1934 Motor Show in London. Intended to compete with successful rivals such as the Ford Model Y, the '8' boasted a new & more powerful 918cc side-valve engine. This advert shows the upgraded series 'E' model released in 1938. Regarded fondly by enthusiasts as 'the poor man's MG', the roadster versions are today much sought after.

Grand Hotel - Salisbury

A 1940s advert for the Grand Hotel in Salisbury. In 1911, the Commercial Hotel was demolished and a new building was erected based on the designs of James Cope-Christie and Thomas Sladdin. The new building cost £11,000 and was re-opened in August 1914 as the Grand Hotel.

Salusa 45

When 40 to 50-year olds were called up for military duty during the country's civil war in the 1970s, they were given the nickname ‘Salusa Scouts’ (after the name of a well-known and locally manufactured multivitamin for the elderly called Salusa 45).

Rubin's Tobacco

Rubin's Navy Cut was a cake of locally sourced tobacco which was manufactured in Rhodesia under license from the Rand Tobacco Company in South Africa.

Forbes & Son Watches

Thomas Forbes was born in Alford Scotland in 1879. He served his apprenticeship with John Watt, a well-known watchmaker. Forbes left Scotland in 1905 and moved to Bulawayo Rhodesia where he joined the respected jewellery firm of William Caie, serving as chief watch & clock repairer. Caie died in 1927 leaving the shop to Forbes who ran it with his sons before he passed away in 1971.

George Elcombe Ltd

George Elcombe began offering a haulage service to the commercial community of Salisbury in 1903 with just two mules and one small trolley. 50 years later it had grown into one of the largest road transport firms in Southern Rhodesia. George also once served as the mayor of Salisbury from 1917 to 1920. The advert above is from 1947.

Gloria Cycle Works

Gloria Cycle Works was located on Abercorn Street (now Jason Moyo st) in Bulawayo. This wholesale and retail cycle merchant was established in 1907 by Abram Radowsky and was once one of the oldest in the country specialising in bicycles and related accessories. This advert is from the 1930s.

Dulys Car Company

Charles Duly, a fully qualified engineer of 24 years of age, cycled from Johannesburg, arriving in Bulawayo in 1894. By 1896, he had opened as a Bicycle Dealer in Abercorn St. In 1902, he imported the first car into Rhodesia and by 1911 the Company was appointed as a “Dealer” for Ford Motor Product in what was then Northern and Southern Rhodesia.

Hepworths - 1902

Hepworths Ltd were tailors, clothiers and outfitters based in both Salisbury and Bulawayo.