The imposing façade is freshly painted, the hardwood floors and panelling are repaired and polished and the oil portraits of Cecil Rhodes, founder of colonial Rhodesia, dusted off. The Bulawayo Club, preserve of the white elite in pre-independence Zimbabwe, has become an unlikely beneficiary of the country’s stuttering economic recovery.

Although foreign investors are still wary of Zimbabwe’s continuing political uncertainty, local businesses, such as Amalinda Collection, the local tourist group behind the club’s refurbishment, are starting to commit capital. Phil Stead, managing director of Amalinda, says: “It is going to happen. If you have a good product you can make money here.”