The Besana Mail, Zim Truth Radar established that there are many restaurants offering exclusively traditional dishes established as early as 2017 in Zimbabwe, located in both rural and urban areas.
This post on Facebook claiming that Highway Gastro Hub is the first to offer exclusively traditional dishes in Zimbabwe is FALSE.
The claim was posted on the national broadcaster Facebook page and has a link directing readers to a full article on Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) news site where more details of the launch were shared.The same claim was also shared by other Facebook users as seen here and here.
Is this really the first restaurant for exclusive traditional dishes?
The post elicited a lot of reactions in the comment section and The Besana Mail – Zim Truth Radar did a follow-up. Using the leads we established that there are a number of restaurants in Zimbabwe which offer exclusively traditional dishes which have been operating before the Highway Gastro Hub.
As of 2017, in Harare there were restaurants offering exclusively traditional dishes and are still operating. Adding to that, in 2024, Zimbabwean prominent musician Feli Nandi opened a restaurant for exclusively traditional dishes in the capital city.
A further investigation shows that one of the most popular restaurants in Zimbabwe which offers exclusively traditional dishes is KwaTerry, known for its traditional cuisine and promoting rural tourism.
Organic Traditional Food at Kwa Terry Restaurant – Photo Credit by Report Focus News
KwaTerry was established in 2018 and has attracted thousands of locals and international visitors, from celebrities in UEFA champion league, musicians and embassies to experience the traditional dishes of Zimbabwe’s cuisine.
The Besana Mail, Zim Truth radar has examined a claim that Highway Gastro Hub is the first restaurant in Zimbabwe to offer exclusively traditional dishes and found it to be FALSE.
This fact-check was produced by The Besana Mail, Zim Truth Radar as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA) incubation programme. It was produced with peer-mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway. AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with The Besana Mail, Zim Truth Radar. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/
