Imagine Glen View, one of Harare’s most vibrant suburbs, as a vast farm owned by Mr. Baxter back in 1946. The farmhouse stood where St Peter’s Kubatana school is today, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape stretching to Highfields and Mukuvisi. The locals called it KwaBhakasta, and little did they know this rural oasis would one day transform into a bustling urban hub.

The area’s history is woven with fascinating stories. Glen Norah, neighboring suburb, got its name from Norah, Baxter’s wife, with “Glen” meaning a narrow valley in old English. The eucalyptus trees dominating the area were first planted during farming days, earning the nickname “Mapuranga” or “place of wood”. Even the park in Glen Norah has a rich past – it was once a dam on the farm, drained and developed into a residential area in the mid-1960s.

But Glen View’s story doesn’t start with the Baxters. Warren Park, another nearby suburb, was named after Robert and Hebert Warren, cousins from South Africa who pegged their farm south of the city limits. After Robert’s tragic death from blackwater fever, Hebert sold the farm, which was later subdivided and incorporated into the municipality. Today, Glen View is a thriving city, but its village roots remain a captivating secret waiting to be uncovered.

Dandaro Online, Zimbabwe Did You Know