BULAWAYO- A Zimbabwean social worker based in the United Kingdom is preparing to drive 15,500 kilometres across Europe and Africa to Zimbabwe in a solo overland expedition that will see him cross 34 borders before arriving home.
Bulawayo-born Nkosilathi Mathe, 49, is expected to leave Birmingham on July 4 in a 2017 Nissan X-Trail.
The journey will take him through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain before he crosses into Morocco to begin the African leg of the trip.
Mathe said he plans to travel largely along the west coast of Africa before heading through Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, South Africa and Lesotho on his way to Cape Town, before turning north through Namibia and Botswana into Zimbabwe via Plumtree Border Post.
“In total I would have crossed 34 borders,” Mathe told ZimLive.
Mathe, who moved to the UK in 2000 before relocating to Ireland in 2008 and returning to England in 2014, said the trip was inspired by his desire to reconnect with Africa while also raising funds for SOS Children’s Villages.
“Flying is too boring. You miss a lot of the scenery and interactions with people,” he said.
“Often when flying I look at the in-flight maps and wonder what the countries below are like to visit. I’m also doing this to fundraise for SOS Children’s Villages and highlight the contrast in ease of cross-border travel in Europe and Africa.”
Mathe recently took a break from his professional work and began driving trucks to give himself more time to prepare for the journey.
He said preparations had involved extensive logistical planning, including securing temporary import permits for the vehicle, researching border regulations and preparing the vehicle for long-distance travel.
“The toughest part has been accepting that you can’t control everything and getting to grips with editing videos in order to share on social media platforms,” he said.
Mathe said the trip is expected to cost between £10,000 and £15,000, covering fuel, visas, ferries, vehicle maintenance and accommodation, although he plans to sleep in the vehicle for most of the expedition.
“Overlanding isn’t cheap, but it’s an investment in experience, perspective and connection,” he said.
He described the journey as more than just an adventure.
“Driving home overland is a way of stitching together the distance between where I live and where I come from,” Mathe said.
“It’s a physical journey, but also an emotional one – a way of honouring heritage, reconnecting with identity and acknowledging the long, complicated paths that shape who we become.”
Mathe said support from Zimbabweans in the diaspora and Africans living abroad had been overwhelming.
“People from the diaspora see it as a bold reconnection with the continent – a journey many dream about but few attempt,” he said.
“Often such journeys are relayed through white Europeans who give views of their travels from their perspective.”
He said arriving in Bulawayo after months on the road would be emotional.
“Rolling into Bulawayo will feel like closing a circle,” said the former Milton High School student.
“It’s more than arriving at a destination, it’s returning to a place that shaped me, carrying all the experiences of the journey with me.”
