Gasolo poised
Jane Nkiwane
True to his word, Bulawayo poet Prince Ncube 34 (Dr Gasolo) has completed a 16 hour-long journey from Bulawayo to Esigodini on foot.
The walk was a rehearsal in preparation for his promised longer walk from Gwanda to Bulawayo billed for the 18th of August.
Recently the artist announced his intention to do “The long walk to success” from Gwanda to Bulawayo in order to raise public awareness on the need to support Matebeland artists.
According to Dr Gasolo, the main purpose of the tryout was to gauge the amount of time he would need to walk from Gwanda to Esigodini in the final walk and also to determine whether it would be possible for him to cover the distance in a day.
“The other reason for this rehearsal was to show potential partners and sponsors that I am really serious about this walk.
“I kickstarted my journey at 7am in Bulawayo and arrived in Esigodini at 2pm. I left Esigodini around 4pm and arrived in Bulawayo around midnight and I enjoyed every step of the way.
The distance from the Bulawayo Tollgate to Esigodini was the hardest as I was feeling hungry, but I kept my self going by eating umphafa that I found in the trees along the way. Just after National University of Science and Technology (NUST) I met one Mduduzi Ndlovu who had got wind of my initiative from my interview at Khulumani FM and decided to tag along. However, we parted ways in Kensington,” he said.
On his way back to Bulawayo, Dr Gasolo had to excercise extreme caution on the road as darkness and glaring motor vehicle lights affected his sight.
“…my tennis shoe became uncomfortable and I developed a blister under my left foot which slowed me down,” he added.
Dr Gasolo hopes to emulate a professional Zimbabwean cyclist Meli Ndlovu who last year, cycled 800 kilometers from Johannesburg to Bulawayo in just 60 hrs in a bid to raise public awareness on the COVID-19 virus.
