By Elizabeth D.T. Taderera
Located near the town of Chiredzi on the Runde River, Hippo Valley Estate is a sugar plantation that established in 1956 as a citrus estate at first. The first cane was planted in 1959. It is one of the major sugar producers in the country followed by Triangle Estate, with plantations covering about 124 square kilometers and employs about 5000 people. It produces about 300,000 tons of sugar per year, and molasses used to make ethanol.
Hippo Valley Estate is publicly listed on the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange. The company provides jobs, schools, and health facilities for the town, where the hospital is a center for the treatment of HIV/AIDS in the area. The water that is used by the town also comes from there.
The estate is owned by Tongaat Hulett Sugar.
