The Sunday Mail
IT’S a lavish palace whose sophisticated architecture some have compared to the swankiest residences found elsewhere in the world, Windsor Castle — home of the British monarchy included.
For good measure, Mr Nick Hoogstraten’s fairy-tale castle at his sprawling estate in Mvuma was, according to locals, built for exclusive occupation by Queen Elizabeth II and is styled in accordance with her luxurious tastes.
Depending, of course, on who you ask, the gothic mansion could also have been intended for a pristine, high-cost hotel apartment or just a private holiday resort for the 69-year-old Hoogstraten himself, who is rated as one of the wealthiest British businessman worth an estimated personal fortune of $500 million.
But despite all this, the majestic building is lying idle.
Former workers at Central Estates, the multi-million cross-country farm that Hoogstraten once operated, revealed to The Sunday Mail Extra that the real estate tycoon was yet to spend a single night in his 32-roomed chalet by the time its construction was completed on the eve of the country’s historic land reform programme in 2000, a period that saw half of his expansive ranch subsequently acquired by the Government for resettlement purposes.
“He pleaded with us to look after it on his behalf and ensure that nothing is removed,’’ Mr Munaro Hoko (55), a former dip man told The Sunday Mail Extra news crew.
“Nick personally came and gathered all of us and told us he supported the land reform programme because this is our land and we should farm on it. We were just asked to look after the properties on the farm especially this big house,’’ said Hoko who, together with fellow redundant workers, is currently embroiled in a payment dispute with the former boss.
Towering over our discussion is one of the most expensive residential projects ever undertaken in Zimbabwe, a futuristic three-storey landmark that stands in the middle of a bush-veld and is completely surrounded by thick woodland in a sub-division of Hoogstraten’s estate that specialised in cattle ranching and wildlife conservancy.
The exact cost of Mvuma’s own version of a sky-scrapper is debatable with Maxwell Bhasera, an evaluator at Chirumanzu Rural District Council, estimating it at over $1m.
Some of the builders who were on the job, say it took a workforce of almost 2 000 to put up the elegant structure, most of the labour sourced from the neighbouring Mvuma community.
“Contrary to the belief of many people, everything on this building was sourced locally, except for a few items like the ceramic tiles and roof covers that were delivered from outside. But we moulded more than 100 000 bricks at this farm for the contractor,’’ said Lovemore Zinga, a brick-layer.
Meule Construction, a local company based only a stone’s throw away along the Harare-Masvingo highway, was the contractor. Hoogstraten, known as a lover of art might have been personally responsible for the innovative design.
The result was a spectacular villa that combines 19th Century British prestige and modern Harare urban glamour yet set against a backdrop of modest countryside scenery where only the chirping birds and nodding rock lizards provide any source of aesthetic entertainment.
From the highest landing in the building, one can obtain a magnificent gaze at the estate’s only water reservoir, dammed from a tributary of the Zibagwe (once Sebakwe) river, and an equally breath-taking view of the tree-tops hanging overhead.
A bold statement of wealth that will stand the test of time, Hoogstraten’s castle is a multi-purpose facility with light-filled rooms each designed for its own special function.
The concept is purely Victorian: British-style lounges, Hollywood-inspired bedrooms, a personal and a cocktail bar complete with marble counters and oval bathrooms ideal for foam baths.
Also panelled in is an eat-in kitchen, a separate dining room, a ventilated study, guest suite, library, cloakroom, a fireplace in each floor, open-air verandahs, laundry bay plus an elaborate wine cellar and a voluminous water-tank both mounted in the ceiling.
There is an opening to the tiled roof through a narrow, winding staircase protruding from the second floor. The ceiling is then converted to be the fourth floor.
The main staircase erected at the front door is sandwiched by two long ground corridors leading to another built-in spectacle, an indoor swimming pool that has its own small balcony elevated above it.
Handiwork on the building, according to locals, began around 1995 and went on for five years during which Hoogstraten was a frequent visitor if not routine supervisor, and he often made it known that he intended the place to be a retreat facility for Queen Elizabeth on any of her future visits to Zimbabwe.
Hoogstraten is rumoured to own two other exquisite properties in Harare, both adorned by tennis courts and other elite recreational facilities.
This publication was unable to obtain a comment from the financial mogul who is a world traveller representing his vast business empire incorporating the biggest coal mine in Zimbabwe and the second largest hotel group.
To avert his shiny possession in Mvuma fast becoming a rat-ridden white elephant, the new farmers on Hoogstraten’s former estate led by Jervas Chaurunga, a war veteran, are dreaming of making it a secondary school.
“There has been minimal damage to any of the properties here and we could conserve this palace by turning it into a school especially for the elder pupils who will be able to use these narrow steps that have no pillars,’’ he said.
“At least such maintenance will prevent it from becoming a ruin.’’
