Santa Maria, Mozambique · August 2026
RebuildingBemugi’s
The fire changed Bemugi’s Place overnight.It didn’t change the heart of it.
In the early hours of 6 August 2026, a devastating fire swept through the heart of Bemugi’s Place, destroying the main restaurant, bar, commercial kitchen, office, storerooms, workshop and Kosi’s entire home.
What happened next says far more about Bemugi’s than the fire ever could.
Within days, the people who make this place what it is were already back, clearing, rebuilding and finding a way forward.
Every contribution helps us put another piece of Bemugi’s back together.
The story
What happened
The fire tore through the main restaurant area, destroying the commercial kitchen, bar, refrigeration and cold-storage equipment, furniture, office and storerooms.
The carpentry workshop was also lost, along with the tools and machinery used to build, repair and maintain so much of Bemugi’s Place.
But the loss wasn’t only to the business.
Kosi’s entire home was destroyed in the fire, along with his personal belongings.
Thankfully, the accommodation, pool area and beach facilities were untouched, meaning Bemugi’s could continue welcoming guests while the enormous task of rebuilding began.
For a place built up over years, the fire took an extraordinary amount in just a few hours. Replacing it isn’t simply about rebuilding walls. It means replacing the equipment, tools and infrastructure that allowed Bemugi’s to operate every day.
But it did not take the people, the place or the determination to begin again.
Then & now
Before the fire. After the fire.
A place built over years, changed in a matter of hours.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Right now
Bemugi's is still Bemugi's
The fire may have changed how things look for now, but it hasn’t stopped Bemugi’s from being Bemugi’s.
Within days, staff, family, friends and members of the community were back on site. There was clearing to do, things to salvage, temporary spaces to create and plenty of figuring things out as they went.
The question heard again and again was simply:
“What can I do?”
And bit by bit, things started happening.
A temporary kitchen was set up. Tables returned around the pool. A small bar began taking shape. Meals were being served again. Guests were arriving. And the accommodation, thankfully untouched by the fire, remained open throughout.
So if you’re wondering whether you can still come to Bemugi’s, absolutely.
Things may be a little different while the rebuild is underway, but the beach is still here, the pool is still here, the food and cold drinks are still here, and most importantly, the people who make Bemugi’s what it is are still here.
Come visit. Stay awhile. And be part of this chapter with us.
The campaign
Buy a Brick.Help us rebuild.
The rebuild includes replacing the commercial kitchen, restaurant and bar infrastructure, refrigeration and equipment, furniture, workshop tools and many of the things required to get Bemugi’s fully operational again.
You don’t literally have to buy a brick.
It simply means becoming part of the rebuild.
One donation. One piece. One step closer.
Can’t donate? Sharing the campaign helps enormously too.
Why it matters
More than a place
Bemugi’s has always been difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t been here.
It’s sandy feet at the bar. Long lunches that become sunsets. Boats coming home. Kids growing up between holidays. Familiar faces returning year after year.
It’s the people.
And now, so many of those people are helping us build it again.
Thank you for every donation, message, prayer, share and helping hand.