MASVINGO — Masvingo is buzzing with activity as the September Sports Tourism Carnival kicked off yesterday, turning the city into a hub of sporting action, travel and tourism as Zimbabwe builds momentum towards the 19th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani-Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo.
Running from 1 to 4 September 2026, the Carnival was officially opened by the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon. Tongai Mnangagwa, alongside the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Masvingo Province, Hon. Ezra Chadzamira and the Deputy Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Hon. Emily Jesaya, who was represented by Sports and Recreation Commission Director-General Allen Mavhunga.
Tertiary institutions from all ten provinces are competing in football, basketball, volleyball, cricket, rugby, netball, pool, tennis, golf and marathon events, drawing athletes, officials and supporters into the city.
More than a competition, the Carnival is turning sports tourism into a platform for travel, destination discovery and economic opportunity drawing visitors into Masvingo and creating business for accommodation establishments, restaurants, tour operators and other tourism enterprises. The event also shines a spotlight on the province’s tourism offering, anchored by the iconic Great Zimbabwe Monument, while promoting domestic tourism and destination visibility.
The sporting action continues through 4 September, followed by the Sanganai Street Carnival and Kids Fun Factory along Main Street on 5 September. The programme then shifts into a more strategic phase, with professional masterclasses, a Tourism Investment Conference and high-level business-to-business networking sessions running from 8 to 11 September.
The main event themed the Sanganai/Hlanganani–Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo takes place from 9 to 12 September at the Gymkhana Events and Conference Centre, which has just completed water, road and ablution facility works ahead of the expo. The event which is organised annually by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, this year’s edition marks the exhibition’s return to Masvingo for the first time in a decade, with delegations expected from South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Malawi. Also on the programme are the Sanganai Tourism and Culture Night, the Masvingo Shutdown Party, and the launch of a new double-deck cruise boat on Lake Mutirikwi a first for the province’s tourism offering.
Masvingo recorded more than 50,000 visitors in 2025, and authorities say the city now has over 900 rooms of accommodation available to host this year’s expected surge in arrivals.
