World Heritage Committee Adopted Decision text on Victoria Falls World Heritage Site, 27th July 2026

Keep Victoria Falls Wild, 28th July 2026

The following is our (unofficial) record of the adopted decision text relating to the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site as discussed, amended and adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 48th Session in Busan, South Korea on 27th July 2026. The text is as per the proposed amended text displayed on-screen during the Committee’s debate.

Amendments as suggested by the Committee members of Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo. Amendments were first proposed in a document published on 23rd July. In introducing the discussion it was disclosed that the representatives of the African World Heritage Centre and IUCN had met with the representatives of the state Parties (Zambia and Zimbabwe) on the same day to discuss the proposed amendments and resulting in the revised amendment document published on 24th. Download the amendments as submitted and published on 24th July 2026 here.

See also our previous notes on the proposed amended text under Further Information.

UNESCO will publish their official record in due course. 

See also our full (unofficial) transcript of the Committee's discussion on the Site here.

7B.93 the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site

Points 1, 2 and 3 adopted without amendment.

“1. Having examined Document WHC/26/48.COM/7B.Add,

2. Recalling Decisions 45 COM 7B.10 and 46 COM 7B.60 adopted at its extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) and 46th sessions (New Delhi, 2024) respectively,

3. Welcomes the continued cooperation between the States Parties, supported by their partners, to strengthen the protection of the property through joint measures, including invasive species control, monitoring, fire management, enhanced conservation actions, and law enforcement;”

Point 4 adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:

“4. Expresses concern that possible cumulative impacts from infrastructure and tourism developments within the property, its buffer zone, and wider setting where applicable continue to pose a significant threat to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, a situation exacerbated, among other things, by the fact that the States Parties continue to receive development project proposals, and invites the States Parties to continue to provide details on any ongoing or future development projects that will be under consideration as soon as information is available.”

Point 5 adopted without amendment.

“5. Regrets the continued delay in completing and submitting the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), despite repeated requests and the recommendations of the 2022 mission, and urges again the States Parties to expedite its finalization with technical guidance from IUCN, as well as its official submission, while ensuring that its conclusions and recommendations are fully integrated into all planning, zoning, and development decision-making processes affecting the property, its buffer zone and wider setting;”

Point 6 adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:

“6. Notes with regret that, at the time of producing this draft decision no update was provided regarding the letter (Ref: CLT/WHC/AFR/24/151) on the third-party concerns related to permits for two commercial tourism developments in highly sensitive zones on the Zimbabwean component of the property. Expresses its concern about the potentially irreversible impacts of these projects on the integrity and the visual attributes of the property and urgently requests the States Parties to provide updates on the above-mentioned letter and report on the monitoring and mitigation measures in place to ensure that the infrastructures do not negatively affect the OUV of the property;”

Point 7 adopted without amendment.

“7. Also notes with regret that the construction of the Mosi-oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort Hotel proceeded without fully meeting approval conditions at the national level and following the Committee’s request to halt further activities until the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) had been submitted and reviewed, and reiterates its requests to the States Parties to implement the 2022 Reactive monitoring mission recommendation to develop a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management plan, which the States Parties indicated in their 2024 report was already being developed, ensuring that the mitigation measures put in place take into account the visual integrity and cumulative effects of the project and address its negative impacts on the property’s OUV;”

Point 8, adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:

“8. Also reiterates its request to the States Parties to ensure that any project located within the property, its buffer zone, and wider setting, where applicable with potential impacts on the OUV is subject to assessment through ESIA or HIA in conformity with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and submitted for review prior to any decision;”

Point 9 adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:

“9. Expresses continued concern regarding the likely negative impact of the proposed Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme (BGHES) on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and further reiterates its request that the revised ESIA be in line with the above-mentioned guidance, including a rigorous assessment of alternative scenarios that minimize negative impacts on the OUV, as recommended by the 2022 Reactive monitoring mission, and be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review, prior to taking any decision that is difficult to reverse;”

Point 10 adopted, after debate, as amended. Final approved text therefore:

"10. Appreciates the submission of the draft Joint Integrated Management Plan (JIMP) 2025-2030, underlines that further amendment is needed to detail the zoning system of the property to function as an effective regulatory tool, as well as the operational, regulatory, and monitoring aspects, and requests the States Parties to further revise and submit the updated version of the JIMP to the World Heritage Centre for review, prior to its validation and future implementation, by:

a) Incorporating clearly defined safeguards and thresholds to mitigate against developmental pressures for the protection of the property’s OUV, and zoning of the property, including well-prescribed limits of acceptable use and permissible activities (including tourism and development infrastructures), in line with the objectives of protecting the OUV and in line with past Committee decisions,

b) Developing finer-scale maps of the zoning system to avoid any ambiguity in its implementation,

c) Establishing enforceable visitor management mechanisms and strictly controlled areas in sensitive zones,...

d) Developing and operationalizing the research and monitoring framework, including the provision of detailed methodologies, the clear allocation of responsibilities, and the establishment of mechanisms to ensure that monitoring results effectively inform adaptive management,

e) Strengthening the consideration and management of cumulative and transboundary impacts on the OUV of the property, particularly of major developments and ongoing urban growth, including their potential effects on hydrological regimes, geomorphological aspects, and visual integrity

f) Ensuring that the JIMP is supported by adequate and sustainable financing to ensure its effective implementation, and monitoring for the long-term protection of the OUV;”

Point 11 adopted as amended

“11. Reiterates furthermore its request to the States Parties to submit a request for a boundary modification in accordance with the Operational Guidelines to set the precise boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, aligned with past Committee Decisions and the property’s Statement of OUV, and encourages the States Parties to seek further technical guidance from the World Heritage Centre and IUCN as required;”

Point 12 (now included under item 11) adopted as amended. Final approved text therefore:

“Also requests that information on the current status of all proposed development projects, reported by the States Parties, including their precise location, and scale, be submitted to the World Heritage Centre as soon as such information becomes available, with particular attention to tourism developments.”

New point 12, Adopted, following debate over ‘terminology and scope, as amended.

“12. Recommends both States Parties to invite Advisory Bodies and WHC to the site for an on-the-ground boundary verification and for guidance on outstanding matters.”

Pont 13 adopted without amendment.

“13. Finally requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2027, an interim report including a copy of the updated JIMP, taking into consideration the comments outlined above, and by 1 December 2027, an updated report on the State of Conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 50th session.”

Further Information

Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (27th July 2026) WorldHeritage Committee Discussion on Victoria Falls World Heritage Site,27th July 2026.

Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (24th July 2026) Committee Members Propose Further Last Minute Amendments to draft Decision text on Victoria Falls World Heritage Site.

 Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (23rd July 2026) World Heritage Committee members attempt to dilute draft Decision text regarding Victoria Falls.

 

 

Still Kicking the Can Down the Road... UNESCO World Heritage Committee Draft Decision text published

Keep Victoria Falls Wild, 9th July 2026 (revised 12th July 2026)

UNESCO World Heritage Committee Draft Decision text published ahead of 48th Session...

List of outstanding and unresolved issues grows as State Parties fail to respond to World Heritage Centre requests...

Committee yet again fails to address recent and proposed tourism developments within Site's 'No New Development' Zone...

Yet further delays to finalisation of new Joint Management Plan - five years and counting to develop draft a management plan covering a five year period.

UNESCO have released the draft papers and reports to be considered by the World Heritage Committee at its forthcoming 48th session, to be held at Busan, Republic of Korea over 19th-29th July 2026. The documents are available to download from the UNESCO website here.

The World Heritage Centre's overview and the Committee's draft Decision text relating to the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site is published within document WHC/26/48.COM/7B.Add (UNESCO/World Heritage Centre, 2026), and presented below in full for ease of reference.

The Committee is due to consider its response to the latest State of Conservation report and draft Joint Management Plan for the World Heritage Site, submitted in December 2025. We previously reported on the many issues of concern within these documents in a Special Report in January this year (Keep Victoria Falls Wild, January 2026).

Mosi-oa-Tunya Resort Development (Zambia)

Under 'Current Conservation Issues' the text highlights lack of clarification of the status of mitigation measures, originally requested in 2024, relating to the Mosi-oa-Tunya Resort development in Zambia, constructed in 2021/2 "without fully meeting all the approval conditions set out in the Zambian Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA) Decision Letter" and currently managed as the Radisson Blu Mosi-oa-Tunya Resort.

"While it is reported that the completed construction of the Mosi-oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort Hotel does not adversely affect the OUV of the property, the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission identified numerous shortfalls and non-compliance with the World Heritage status of the property, including differing interpretations of zoning terms. Given that the project has already been completed, and in light of the concerns raised by the mission and in previous Committee Decisions, the information provided by the State Party does not demonstrate whether the mitigation measures previously reported are being implemented to adequately address negative impacts on the property’s OUV. The development of a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), as recommended in the 2022 reactive monitoring mission, and already mentioned in the report submitted by the States Parties in February 2024, is even more urgent to ensure that the mitigation and monitoring initiatives put in place also consider the visual integrity and cumulative effects of the project. In addition, the reported review of the 2007 Zonation Scheme should be expedited to clarify the inconsistencies and refine the associated permissible-use thresholds."

In summary this issue has not been progressed, by either the World Heritage Centre or the State Party, since the Committee's 2024 decision and request for mitigation measures. This development was pushed ahead without notification or disclosure to UNESCO during 2021, and continued despite requests from the World Heritage Centre to suspend development pending review of the proposals. A subsequent IUCN/UNESCO Reactive Monitoring Mission Report highlighted several significant issues of non-compliance with national planning approvals (UNESCO/World Heritage Centre, 2023a).

Baines Restaurant and Cataract Island Tours (Zimbabwe)

The text also notes no update has yet to be given in relation to the launch of tours to Cataract Island in 2022 and development of the Baines Restaurant over 2022/3. The Committee's belated draft reaction to these developments, following up on an unanswered request for further details from the World Heritage Centre on 14th March 2023 (UNESCO/World Heritage Centre, 2023b), is to merely state: 

"Finally, no update was provided regarding the third-party concerns related to permits for two commercial tourism developments in highly sensitive zones of the property, notably Cataract Island and its riverine rainforest on the Zimbabwean component, which remain of great concern, particularly given available online information indicating that they have already commenced operations."

So nothing has been progressed on this key issue, by either party, since the sending of a letter by the World Heritage Committee in March 2023. Tours to Cataract Island were launched in 2021 without notification or disclosure to UNESCO, despite a previous request from the World Heritage Committee for a full EIA disclosure in 2017 in specific reference to this proposal (World Heritage Committee, 2017).

The area of the Baines development has been protected against development since 1904 with the formation of the Victoria Falls Park. It was declared a National Monument in 1937 in recognition of its cultural heritage significance and protected as a National Park in 1952 in recognition of its conservation and environmental importance. In the mid-1970s it was part of an area declared 'permanently protected' against all new development under the Victoria Falls Outline Plan, before being designated as a World Heritage Site in 1989. Under the 2007 and 2016 joint management plans the area was declared part of the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (HESZ) which prevents all new development. Yet despite all these protections the development was pushed ahead during 2022, without prior notification or disclosure to UNESCO and despite a legal challenge against its development in the Zimbabwean courts (still to be heard), and has been operational since 2023 (Keep Victoria Falls Wild, September 2023; June 2025; April 2026).

The 1975 'Permanently Protected' Area, Victoria Falls

The EIA approval was granted on the basis of the false claim that the site of the development was within the 'Medium Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (MESZ) and a permissible development - when it is in fact in the High Ecologically Sensitive Zone which prevents all new development. Even if it was in the MESZ it would still not be a permissible development. 

Critically, the 1975 'permanently protected' area has also not been fully disclosed to UNESCO within the joint management plans, leaving the World Heritage Committee in the dark over the protected area (Roberts, 2026).

Further Developments (Zimbabwe)

The text also indicates the World Heritage Centre sent the State Parties a letter in September 2024 requesting information relating to proposed tourism developments within the Site's 'no new development' zone (the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' or HESZ) - sadly not specified but believed to relate to the lease agreements, already signed with third parties, for the development of the proposed riverside 'tree lodges' and Kandahar Camp developments on the southern, Zimbabwean, side of the Falls. Not surprisingly, eighteen months later, the World Heritage Centre has not had any response to this request.

"In a letter dated 25 September 2024, the World Heritage Centre transmitted to the State Party of Zimbabwe, for comments, third-party information reporting the issuance of several commercial sites for tourism developments in contradiction to the existing JIMP within the property. No response has been received from the State Party at the time of writing this report."

So yet again, absolutely no progress on this issue since 2024.

Draft Decision Text

In its Draft Decision text the World Heritage Committee:

"4. Expresses serious concern that cumulative impacts from large-scale infrastructure and ever-increasing tourism development within the property, its buffer zone, and wider setting continue to pose a significant threat to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, a situation exacerbated, among other things, by the fact that several development projects, which the States Parties have indicated to be at the scoping stage, are currently underway, and invites the States Parties to provide further details on the reported development projects that are under consideration as soon as more information is available: ...

"6. Notes with regret that no update was provided regarding the third-party concerns related to permits for two commercial tourism developments in highly sensitive zones on the Zimbabwean component of the property, noting that information available online indicates that these developments have already commenced operation, expresses its deep concern about the potentially irreversible impacts of these projects on the integrity and the visual attributes of the property and urgently requests the States Parties to report on the monitoring and mitigation measures in place to ensure that the infrastructures do not negatively affect the OUV of the property;

"7. Also notes with regret that the construction of the Mosi-oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort Hotel proceeded without fully meeting approval conditions at the national level and following the Committee’s request to halt further activities until the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) had been submitted and reviewed, and reiterates its requests to the States Parties to implement the 2022 Reactive monitoring mission recommendation to develop a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management plan, which the States Parties indicated in their 2024 report was already being developed, ensuring that the mitigation measures put in place take into account the visual integrity and cumulative effects of the project and address its negative impacts on the property’s OUV;

"8. Also reiterates its request to the States Parties to ensure that any project located within the property, its buffer zone, and wider setting with potential impacts on the OUV is subject to assessment through ESIA or HIA in conformity with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and submitted for review prior to any decision; "

Joint Management Plan

Regarding the draft Joint Management Plan for the site, the text raises several specific concerns to be addressed in a revised draft, to be submitted as part of an 'interim report' by 1st February 2027, but which will not presumably be considered by the Committee until mid-2028.

"13. Finally requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2027, an interim report including a copy of the updated JIMP, taking into consideration the comments outlined above, and by 1 December 2027, an updated report on the State of Conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 50th session."

The new five-year Joint Management Plan for the Site was originally due for submission by end of June 2024, with UNESCO agreeing an extension until June 2025 to allow 'finalisation' of the plan (World Heritage Committee, 2024). The new plan was  subsequently submitted in December 2025, but with key sections missing (Keep Victoria Falls Wild, January 2026). It will now be at least mid-2028 before the 'final' version will be reviewed by the World Heritage Committee, meaning that it will have taken more than five years to develop a five year management plan.

Continued Failings

The State Party representatives on both sides of the river will no doubt yet again be patting each other on the back for successfully delaying any significant review of tourism developments at the Site by the Committee until 2028. The World Heritage Committee's current draft decision text actually undermines long-standing conservation protections preventing development. 

The failure of the State Parties to respond to previous Committee requests for further information relating to the Baines Restaurant and Cataract Island tours, and failure of the Committee to previously react to these developments, despite full particulars being supplied by 'third-parties', mean that these operations will have been operational for several years before the World Heritage Committee has even officially acknowledged their existence. The Draft Decision text response to the State Parties failure to notify the Committee in advance of this development, the flawed EIA report and subsequent EIA approvals is to merely request "the States Parties to report on the monitoring and mitigation measures in place to ensure that the infrastructures do not negatively affect the OUV of the property" is totally inadequate. 

The Draft Decision text as it currently stands is, considering the background the Baines Restaurant development and its location, a complete capitulation. The only mitigation measure which will ensure that the Baines Restaurant development does not negatively affect the OUV of the property, or more to the point infringe existing legal protections, is its total and absolute removal from the site. The Committee should, and indeed must, call for the upholding of these protections and for the development to be removed and the area fully restored to its natural aspect. Failure to comply should result in the Site being listed on the World Heritage Site List of Sites in Danger. 

The Committee's continued failure to fully address the issues relating to this and other tourism developments, including the proposed 'tree lodge' development, for which plans are well advanced (the development is reportedly to be managed under InterContinental Hotel Group's exclusive 'Six Senses' brand), at the current 48th Session risks legitimising inappropriate developments which threaten the future World Heritage status of the Site. Requesting mitigation measures on a completely illegitimate development, after it has been constructed without notification to UNESCO is not an acceptable compromise in this example, and is already proving totally ineffective in relation to the Mosi-oa-Tunya Resort development in Zambia. 

In failing to address and progress these issues the World Heritage Committee is rapidly making itself a significant part of the problem, and in turning a blind eye to these developments is actually facilitating in the degradation of this Site, raising serious questions and concerns over the whole 'World Heritage Site' system of governance and overview in relation to natural heritage sites - with the Victoria Falls rapidly becoming a prime case study example (Roberts, 2026).

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Download the full draft text relating to Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site in pdf format here.

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References

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (September 2023) Spotlight on Baines Restaurant. 11th September (revised). (pdf)

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (June 2025) Special Report on the Riverine Fringe (pdf, 1.8mb)

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (January 2026) Reaction and Response to 2025 State of Conservation Report and 2025-2030 Draft Joint Integrated Management Plan (pdf, 0.6mb)

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (April 2026) Serious Concerns Over Management of Victoria Falls World Heritage Site (pdf, 1.3mb)

Roberts, P (2026) Paradise Lost? Conservation and Development of the Victoria Falls (1900-2025). Zambezi Book Company / CreateSpace Independent Publishing.

State Parties (2025) 2025 Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya State of Conservation Report/Joint Integrated Management Plan (pdf download [18.9 mb], opens in a new window)

UNESCO/World Heritage Centre (2023a) Final Joint Mission Report Mosi-oa-Tunya, Victoria Falls (Zambia/ Zimbabwe) 9-13 February 2022 (pdf download [3.3 mb], opens in a new window)

UNESCO/World Heritage Centre (2023b) Conservation Issues, Analysis and Conclusions (45 COM 7B.10).

UNESCO/World Heritage Centre (2026) Item 7B of the Provisional Agenda: State of Conservation of properties inscribed on the of World Heritage List (WHC/26/48.COM/7B.Add).  Draft Decision text relating to the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site.

World Heritage Committee (2017) Decisions Adopted 41COM 7B.22, point 6.

World Heritage Committee (2024) Decisions Adopted, 46COM 7B.60, point 5d.

Concerns Over Degradation of the Falls Environment as Zambia and Zimbabwe Register Record Numbers of Visitors to Victoria Falls over 2024

KEEP VICTORIA FALLS WILD

Zambia have recently published their annual tourism report for 2024, providing long-awaited detail on visitors to the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site and indicating a record number of tourists visited the Falls over 2024.

Zambia recorded a record 2,199,820 international arrivals over 2024, a 35 percent increase on the 1,392,153 arrivals recorded in 2023. Visitors to the north-bank Falls visitor park, however, declined to 170,402, against 227,000 in 2023, including 45,023 international visitors, down from 51,126 recorded in 2023. The Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park recorded 11,591 visitors (Zambia Tourism Agency, 2025). The figures show a strong national recovery from the pandemic years and reflect the strength and diversity of Zambia's nationwide tourism industry.

Across the river Zimbabwe recorded 1,613,901 international arrivals in 2024, a slight increase on the 1,602,781 visitors recorded in 2023, but still significantly short of pre-pandemic highs of 2,579,974 arrivals recorded in 2019 (Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, 2025, p.8). The figures mark a sudden pause in the country’s post-Covid recovery, while global tourism levels have largely recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.

Visitors to the south-bank Rainforest viewing

the lunar rainbow (ZPWMA, 2023)

Visitors to the Falls, however, showed a fuller recovery, with the south-bank Victoria Falls visitor park receiving 394,681 visitors over 2024, including 295,084 international visitors (Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, 2025, p.24). The total for 2024 is just short of the record high of 397,436 visitors to the Falls recorded in 2019 (and which included 310,732 international visitors), indicating that tourism to the Falls has recovered to pre-Covid levels, despite the poor national figures (and a reflection of the over-reliance of Zimbabwe's national tourism industry on the Falls). The Zambezi National Park recorded 202,618 visitors, up on the 170,605 visitors recorded in 2023.

The figures reported indicate a new record combined total of 565,083 visitors to the Falls over the year, surpassing the previous record total of 537.980 recorded in 2019. The figures also mark only the second time that the Falls have received over half-a-million visitors in two consecutive years, with a total of 537,980 visitors recorded in 2018 and 530,136 in 2023.

The scale of recent growth in tourism to the Falls is clearly illustrated by the numbers of visitors estimated to have visited the south bank Rainforest since the early 1900s. While there are no detailed records of visitor numbers to the Falls since Livingstone first described them to the world, estimates based on known occupancy levels at the Victoria Falls Hotel over the decades indicate that perhaps one million people had visited the south bank Rainforest by the time of independence in 1980. It is calculated that this number doubled to two million over just twenty years to 2000 and this total itself nearly tripled to close to six million visitors over the twenty years to 2020 (Roberts, 2025).

Carrying Capacity Concerns

The new record total raises concerns over the peak-season carrying capacity of the Falls visitor parks, especially on the south bank. 

The 1996 IUCN SEA report calculated the carrying capacity on both sides of the Falls to be 250 people at any one time with a daily limit of 3,000 visitors.

“The rainforest walk is the primary attraction which brings tourists from all over the world. The carrying capacity of the Rainforest walks limits the carrying capacity of the whole area... The carrying capacity of the rainforest is based upon the number of people in the rainforest at any one time. Calculations by the study team showed that on both the Zambian and Zimbabwean side, the carrying capacity was about 250 persons at any one time giving 1,250 persons on an average day and up to 3,000 persons per day on a capacity day.” (IUCN, 1996a, p.9-10) 

The 2010 State of Conservation Report confirmed the carrying capacity for the Falls visitor parks, estimating a total of 6,000 daily visitors as a maximum, split equally over the two sides of the river (UNESCO, 2010).

The 2016 Joint Plan indicated a revised carrying capacity of 500 visitors to the south bank and 250 visitors to the north bank at any one time (as opposed to Heath’s 1990 estimate of 250 visitors for each side of the river). The revised south bank figure is believed to be based on the assumption of an average visit time of one-hour, instead of the widely accepted tourism industry figure of two hours, effectively doubling the south-bank daily capacity identified in 1996 from 3,000 to 6,000 (it should be noted there have been no corresponding improvements to visitor facilities or infrastructure to justify this increased figure).

The 2024 Zambezi/Victoria Falls National Park Management Plan estimated the current tourist accommodation capacity of the south bank at between 5,000 and 6,000 beds (ZPWMA, 2023, p.59), with hotel and other developments already announced and in progress expected to easily bring this total to over 6,000 (while the centrally located Kingdom Hotel, with nearly 300 rooms, still lies empty).

Accepting a daily limit of 3,000 visitors either side of the Falls and an average stay of two days/nights, the drive to expand tourism accommodation on the south-bank resort beyond 6,000 beds would suggest that the carrying capacity of the ‘Rainforest’ is in danger of being regularly breached during peak-season periods, when hotels and lodges are often booked to near capacity. The concerns over the visitor capacity of the Falls also extend to tourism activities, with recent years seeing a significant increase in the number of cruise boats operating on the river above the Falls and helicopters offering flights over the Falls.

In 2018 ZimParks extended the daily opening times for the south-bank visitor 'Rainforest' from its traditional dusk closing time (6-7 p.m.) until 10 p.m. while also allowing night-time game drives within the Zambezi National Park and late night dining and events along the river. 

Tourism development pressures have also led to the development of inappropriate and illegitimate infrastructure within protected 'no new development' zones, such as the establishment of the riverside Baines Restaurant, opened in mid-2023 and located immediately above the Falls within the Victoria Falls National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site 'red zone.' The proposed development of a riverside 'tree lodge' complex along an undeveloped stretch of the riverine fringe surrounding the Elephant Hills Golf Course, again within the VFNP and WHS red zone, threatens to further impact the fragile ecology of the immediate area of the Falls (KVFW, 2023; 2024). These developments also risk increasing people-wildlife conflict by displacing local elephant herds from their traditional movement corridors, refuge and feeding areas and bringing them into conflict with local residents (VFCC, 2024, p.64, 91, 155).

Over-tourism risks the degradation of the Falls environment through direct physical development and disturbance, with increased noise and light/visual pollution experienced by the visitor and ultimately reducing the wilderness, and tourism, value and appeal of the Falls. The drive for short-term growth and gains are undermining the long-term tourism value and potential of the destination - as well as risking the lives of residents through the increased risks of people-wildlife conflict. 

References

Further information, downloads and links to key documents available from Keep Victoria Falls Wild website (www.keepvictoriafallswild.com).

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (2023) 2023 State of Development Final Report. August 2023. 

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (2024) 2024 State of Development Final Report. July, 2024.

IUCN (1996) Strategic Environmental Assessment of Developments Around Victoria Falls, Executive Summary. IUCN Regional Office for Southern Africa.

Roberts, P. (2025) Footsteps Through Time - A History of Travel and Tourism to the Victoria Falls. Fourth Edition. Zambezi Book Company / CreateSpace Independent Publishing. (First published 2017).

UNESCO (2010) Conservation Issues.

Victoria Falls City Council (2024) Victoria Falls City Master Plan. Draft Report of Study. April 2024.

Zambia Tourism Agency (2025) Annual Report 2024.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (October 2023) Zambezi/Victoria Falls National Park GeneralManagement Plan (2024-2034). October 2023 (approved April 2024).

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (2025) Tourism Trends and Statistics 2024.

Island Tours Devalue Tourist Experience at Victoria Falls

(Zimbabwe, 25th September 2024).

The Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls UNESCO World Heritage Listing places great emphasis on the protection of the immediate area of the Falls from tourism and other developments in an attempt to keep the views of the Falls as natural as possible and to preserve the experience of tourists, on both sides of the river.

Visitors to the Zimbabwean 'Rainforest' have their view of the Falls marred
by a group visiting the Devil's Pool and Livingstone Island 

from the Zambian side of the river.

For this reason a 'no new development' zone surrounds the core of the Site, yet the launch of tours to Cataract Island from the Zimbabwean side of the river, also highlights an existing issue on the Zambian side, where tours to Livingstone Island have been established for many years. The growth in popularity of the associated Devil's Pool activity in recent years especially has significantly increased the number and the visual impact of the tours, with groups of tourists clambering over the rocks being highly visible from the main tourism viewpoints on the Zimbabwean side of the river (as illustrated in the first photograph, above) and including temporary structures, erected each season, which are again visible from the Zimbabwean side of the river (second photo, below).

The view across to Livingstone Island from the Zimbabwean side of the river,

with temporary structures used for tourists in full view.

In response to the popularity of these tours, Zimbabwean authorities have controversially authorized the use of Cataract Island for similar activities, with yet further negative impacts on the view of tourists (third photo, below), whilst also ignoring the impacts of these tourist upon the fragile ground flora of the island (the last remaining area of the rainforest undisturbed by tourism), as well as an online petition against the use of Cataract Island for tourism which received over 40,000 signatories.

Visitors to the Zimbabwean 'Rainforest' now also have their view of the Falls 

marred by groups visiting Cataract Island.

The special status of the Victoria Falls as a National Monument, National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site aims to protect their rich natural and cultural history for future generations, also ensuring that they remain a global tourism attraction. Yet Park Authorities on the south bank have in recent years approved a wave of tourism developments within the highly protected 'red zone,' part of an ongoing trend in developing private tourism concessions within the the wider National Park area and commercialisation of the Falls in search of ever increasing tourism receipts. For this increasingly devalued experience overseas visitors are charged an ever increasing visitor fee - currently US$50 for the Zimbabwean side of the river.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, having previously requested a full independent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment before the commencement of any tourism activities on Cataract Island, are yet to comment specifically on the launch tours. No ESIA process had been conducted, as evidenced by the lack of public disclosure before the launch of the tours in April 2021 (shortly after the UNESCO Monitoring Mission to the Site).

Further Information

Tours to Cataract Island are operated by Zambezi Crescent, managers of the upstream Victoria Falls River Lodge (also located within the highly sensitive 'red zone') under the promotional banner of the 'Cataract Pool' - see www.cataractpool.com.

Read more on the launch of tours to Cataract Island on our website here. 

Visit the Keep Victoria Falls Wild website for more on the wave of tourism development issues surrounding the conservation and protection of the Falls.

#keepvictoriafallswild #victoriafalls #Zimbabwe #Zambia #zambezi #UNESCO #worldheritage #overtourism #overdevelopment #zimparks

Controversial Project Proposed for Victoria Falls (Zambia)

'Victoria Falls Live Project' proposes 'Charity Concert' from Livingstone Island on edge of the World Heritage Wonder - Concerns over Impacts - Sacred Site

19th December 2023

The Zambian government has announced its support for an event promoted as a 'ground-breaking charity concert for nature' to be staged at the Victoria Falls in 2024.

Concerns have been expressed, however, over the impact of the proposed event on the fragile environment of the Falls, which is also a sacred cultural site and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Digital visualisation of the Victoria Falls Live Project 

Details of the Victoria Falls Live Project were released in media statement from Diamond TV Zambia on social media on Friday 15th December.

"The Victoria Falls, is set to be the stage for a new charity concert. The Victoria Falls Live Project, a collaboration between Global Creative Studio Immersive Intl and Agusta Prod. in partnership with WWF, will unite music, nature & innovation in support of saving our planet. 

"The concert will feature renowned Zambian, African, and international artists, all coming together to perform and celebrate the beauty and importance of the surrounding nature. A unique musical collaboration between Zambian singer-songwriters James Sakala, Wezi, and Italian composer Giovanni Agusta is set to open the concert. More artists and acts are being confirmed and will be announced early next year."

The project involves using Livingstone Island as the performance stage for a live music event supported by a light and laser presentation utilising the Falls as a backdrop as illustrated by digitally enhanced promotional images.

Digital visualisation of the Victoria Falls Live Project

Presidential Approval

A promotional feature released online by Diamond TV Zambia includes an endorsement by President Hakainde Hichilema and interviews with Tommy Lexen, Managing Director of Immersive International and Italian composer Giovanni Agusta Director of Agusta Productions. The two men are also jointly named as Directors of Victoria Falls Project Live Ltd (incorporated in the UK on 8 December 2023).

Green Clams

Zambian Minister of Tourism, Rodney Sikumba, claimed the project is a climate focussed charity concert with a call on saving the planet.

"This concept for a climate-focused charity concert has come at the right time. We are excited to invite the world to see our incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site, the captivating Victoria Falls, in a new and truly unique way," he said.

The grand claims of raising awareness of ­climate change, and involvement of WWF Zambia, appear to be attempts to give thin veneer of 'green' credibility to the event, which appears in every other aspect to be totally incompatible with such a sensitive site.

WWF Zambia have confirmed their involvement in the project on social media, claiming that the Victoria Falls Live Project will be solely a virtual event. 

Unsuitable Impacts

While there may not be crowds viewing the event, there will still be significant disturbance within the fragile area of the Victoria Falls 'rainforest,' supposedly protected within National Parks on both sides of the river.

Nocturnal noise and light pollution from the event are likely to create significant disturbance to local wildlife.

A spokesperson for Keep Victoria Falls Wild, a campaigning group raising awareness of tourism development pressures and their impacts at the Falls, commented: "The authorities of Zambia and Zimbabwe appear determined to drive away all the wildlife, from bushuck and elephants to hornbills and owls, from Falls and its surroundings. Whilst it appears there is a total lack of understanding as to the sensitive ecology of the Falls, they no doubt hope to develop yet more riverside lodges, restaurants and host yet more events such as the Victoria Falls Live Project. However it is the stunning natural landscape and amazing local wildlife which attracts visitors from around the world. They risk loosing not only the World Heritage Site status, but also undermining  the valuable tourism upon which their local and national economies depend. Not to mention the desecration of a sacred cultural site."

Limited Benefits

Details of the proposed event are vague, although it appears there will only be limited benefits for the local tourism sector with the event being promoted as a virtual event to be broadcast to a 'global audience.'

While WWF Zambia are supposedly the charity benefactors of the event, they have limited involvement with the local community or conservation initiatives. Local Livingstone residents have been left wondering who will benefit from the event.

Sacred Site

Livingstone Island is also sacred cultural site, the mists below and ever-present rainbow above the Falls being associated with the ancestor spirits.

On his first visit Livingstone recorded that three islands at the lip of the Falls were used by the three local Leya chiefs for offerings to the ‘Barimo,’ but identifies only one of these sites - now known as Livingstone Island, recording the following in his 'Missionary Travels' on his first arrival and sight of the Falls from this island on its very edge in 1855.

“At three spots near these Falls, one of them the island in the middle, on which we were, three Batoka chiefs offered up prayers and sacrifices to the Barimo. They chose their places of prayer within the sound of the roar of the cataract, and in sight of the bright bows in the cloud...

“The play of colors of the double iris on the cloud, seen by them elsewhere only as the rainbow, may have led them to the idea that this was the abode of Deity. Some of the Makololo... looked upon the same sign with awe. When seen in the heavens it is named 'motse oa barimo' - the pestle of the gods.

“Here they could approach the emblem, and see it stand steadily above the blustering uproar below - a type of Him who sits supreme - alone unchangeable, though ruling over all changing things. But, not aware of His true character, they had no admiration of the beautiful and good in their bosoms. They did not imitate His benevolence, for they were a bloody, imperious crew, and Sebituane performed a noble service in the expulsion from their fastnesses of these cruel 'Lords of the Isles' [Sekute and the other Leya chiefs]

“Having feasted my eyes long on the beautiful sight, I returned to my friends at Kalai, and saying to Sekeletu that he had nothing else worth showing in his country, his curiosity was excited to visit it the next day." (Livingstone, 1857, p.523-4)

World Heritage Site in Danger?

The Victoria Falls are globally known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but perhaps not for much longer. Recent tourism developments on both sides of the Falls have contravened management plans agreed with UNESCO aimed at projecting the integrity of the Falls environment and resulted in repeated warnings from the World Heritage Committee.

The construction of the Zambian Mosi-oa-Tunya Resort, developed on the edge of the World Heritage Site (and in a recognised wildlife movement corridor favoured by Livingstone's local elephant herd) caused widespread negative reaction and resulted in a site visit by UNESCO representatives in February 2022 to assess the negative impacts of the development and combined impacts of tourism development pressures across the site, the report raising serious concerns over the future viability of the World Heritage Site:

"The mission also observed that the property is facing increasing threats from individual and cumulative infrastructure developments, whose footprints are inside the property, its buffer zone or in its wider setting... If the proposed and future developments proceed without the appropriate level of consideration for the environment in which the property is located and for which it is inscribed, as well the cumulative impacts from the different individual developments, the OUV [Outstanding Universal Values] could be considered to be in danger in the near future."

Since the visit a wave of further development proposals have emerged on the Zimbabwean side of the river, including the construction of the Baines Restaurant on the Zimbabwean side of the river, immediately above the Falls (opened in mid-2023).

Supporting Information

Livingstone island is leased as a tourism concession to Tongabezi Safaris, operators of Tongabezi Lodge. who operate tours to the island and opportunity to swim in the pools on the very lip of the Falls, the 'Devil's Pool.' The lodge is currently managed by Green Safaris.

The Victoria Falls was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989. The site is managed by the National Heritage Conservation Commission (Zambia) and Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimbabwe).

Keep Victoria Falls Wild is a campaigning group raising awareness of tourism development pressures and their impacts at the Falls. Visit www.keepvictoriafallswild.com for more information.

Downloads

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (August 2023) 2023 State of Development Final Report (pdf, 7.2mb, opens in a new window)

World Heritage Committee (2023) Final Joint Mission Report Mosi-oa-Tunya, Victoria Falls (Zambia/ Zimbabwe) 9-13 February 2022 (pdf, 3.3 mb, opens in a new window)

Tourism Development Pressures Threaten Victoria Falls World Heritage Site (Zimbabwe)

(14th February 2023)

A new independent report produced for Keep Victoria Falls Wild highlights urgent concerns over the management of the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site (WHS) and recent allocation of leases and concessions by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, threatening the vulnerable riverine fringe along the upstream river corridor above the Victoria Falls.

Download the Keep Victoria Falls Wild 2023 State of Development Summary Report (pdf, 887kb)

A series of new tourism developments have been authorised within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' of the Victoria Falls National Park (VFNP), a long-standing 'no new infrastructure' zone, including a proposed riverside 'tree lodge' development (a significant new 57-room development on a 40 hectare concession stretched along the riverside fringe within the VFNP and already widely promoted within the tourism industry) as well as a riverside restaurant development, currently under construction immediately above the Falls.

Site of riverside restaurant construction (January 2023)

There are also concerns over the allocation of Zambezi National Park Kandahar Camp for development as a lodge concession as this site is also recently identified in management documents as within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone.'

The report calls for an immediate halt to construction of the riverside restaurant and 'tree lodge' developments, all impacts on the sites mitigated and their lease concessions with National Parks rescinded, and further recommends that the World Heritage Committee requests a total moratorium on all developments in and surrounding the WHS until suitable management plans and maps are in place and agreed by all parties and all issues relating to the World Heritage Site management zone boundaries are confirmed and clarified.

Sketch outline of World Heritage Site boundary superimposed over satellite image and showing the location of existing and proposed developments in the south bank upper river corridor of the World Heritage Site (Satellite image: Google Maps)

Conservation Concerns

The riverine forest fringe is a protected feature of the WHS and noted for its importance to wildlife and wider scenic value. The vulnerability of this habitat is also recognised in the 2016-2021 Joint Integrated Management Plan:

"The Zambezi River, in common with all rivers in tropical Africa, has a distinct fringing vegetation of gallery or riparian woodland. The Riverine Forest is found along the banks of the Zambezi, Songwe and Maramba Rivers and on some islands. On the riverbanks it is with a width rarely more than 20-100m wide from the high water mark (Fanshawe, 1975, Meynell et al., 1996). At its best development, riparian forest is a three storeyed forest with a closed evergreen canopy attaining 21m in height... This habitat houses the highest concentration of animals and is the most sought and threatened by human developments." (State Parties, 2016, p.18-9)

The draft Management Plan, circulated in November 2022, identifies the forested riverine fringe as being particularly at risk from tourism developments, the river, islands and gorges, together with the springs and drainage lines which flow into the river, being under very high risk from development (ZPWMA, November 2022, p.19). Yet despite the vulnerability to this habitat being widely recognised in management documents, tourism developments continue to impact and threaten the river corridor, especially in the upstream section of the site, the draft report of the recent Reactive Monitoring Mission concluding:

"For the area upstream from the Falls, the mission observed that the rationale for the 1989 recommendation to focus on the riverine strip of the National Parks remains justified, with most pressure actually felt by the NP areas near the river that are most relevant to the integrity of the site. While MoTNP and ZNP have been identified as buffer zones, the tourism developments have shown that the status of National Park has not provided the envisaged protection" (UNESCO, 2022).

Zoning Issues

The text of the 2007-12 JIMP clearly identifies the riparian vegetation above the Victoria Falls as within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (State Parties, 2007, p.39). The supporting map (State Parties 2007, p.38) is unclear in showing the zonation of the property in the upstream river corridor.

The 2016-21 JIMP detailed revised zones for the property, although the text description again indicates that the riverine vegetation is included in the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (Block 6) and is described as “...following the Victoria Falls Rainforest, thence up the Zambezi River covering the riverine vegetation strip to where it joins the Zambezi National Park boundary” (State Parties, 2016, p.29).

The 2016-21 JIMP identifies the boundary with ‘Medium Ecologically Sensitive Zone’ (Block 7) as extending along Zambezi Drive road.

"The zone covers the Victoria Falls border and the Rainforest car park area and continues from the Victoria Falls Rainforest VIP entrance gate, thence along the Zambezi Drive Road to beacon R11, thence westwards following the boundary beacons to where it joints Zambezi National Park boundary" (State Parties, 2016, p.29).

Map showing boundary line of Victoria Falls National Park and site of riverside restaurant development (Satellite image: Google Maps)

This clearly indicates that the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' includes the entire area of the land between Zambezi Drive road and the river - the area commonly known as the riverine fringe or strip - extending along this whole section of the river immediately above the Falls. This interpretation is also consistent with the historical management of this area which has been part of a strict ‘no new infrastructure’ policy since its management was taken over by National Parks in the early 1950s.

It follows that the land from the road away from the river is considered to be within the 'Medium Ecologically Sensitive Zone,' an area which is described in the 2016-21 JIMP as including the road and rail transport corridor which dissects the site below the Falls.

The supporting map presented in the 2016-21 JIMP (State Parties, 2016, p.27) confuses the issue by not clearly showing the line of the river above the Falls and appears to incorrectly show the riverside fringe within the 'Medium Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (yellow area). The confusion, or error, is more clearly apparent in the map presented in the 2012 Retrospective Inventory (Image 6), which while clearly indicating the line of the river and area of the upstream riverine fringe covered within the VFNP and WHS, mistakenly identifies the area as being in the 'Medium Ecologically Sensitive Zone,' an error which is repeated in the most recent map of the property, presented in the 2021 State of Conservation Report (State Parties, 2021, Appendix 2a, p.2).

Map showing management zones and proposed tourism developments within WHS, (Adapted from State Parties, 2021, Appendix 2a).

We believe that all these maps are clearly incorrect in not showing the area of riparian fringe as protected within the VFNP and WHS as being within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone,' as indicated by the text of the JIMP documents. For this section of the riverine fringe to be in anything other than the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' would be a significant shortcoming in the administration and management of the site. For it to be within the 'Medium Ecologically Sensitive Zone' - the same zone as the rail and road transport corridor and visitor car parking area - would be a serious neglect of Parks core conservation aims and its international obligations under the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

It should also be noted no management zonation is detailed for the upstream area of the ZNP which is included in the WHS in either of the JIMP documents - a significant omission which subsequently allowed the development of two lodges along this section of riverine fringe, the Victoria Falls River Lodge (opened in 2012) and the Old Drift Lodge (opened in 2018). Although the river upstream to Kandahar Island is identified as being within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (State Parties 2007, p.39) this still did not prevent the development of lodge units on Kandahar Island (opened in 2017, part of the Victoria Falls River Lodge development). The revised zonation map subsequently presented in the 2021 State of Conservation Report shows the whole WHS area of the ZNP within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (State Parties, 2021).

The 2016-21 JIMP also presented revised guidelines for permitted activities and developments allowed within the management zones. The original 2007-12 JIMP prohibited all new infrastructure developments (with the exception of existing facilities) the both the High and Medium management zones (State Parties, 2007, p.39-41). The 2016-21 JIMP, while still prohibiting all new infrastructure development within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone,' permits the development of 'semi-permanent facilities' within the 'Medium Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (State Parties, 2016, p.32).

Urgent Implications

The errors and discrepancies shown in the management zonation maps are of particular concern in relation to three developments along this stretch of the river - the riverside restaurant (with on-site construction well under-way), the new National Park structure (constructed in early 2022) and the proposed riverside 'tree lodge' (again with preparatory work already underway on the ground). The developers of the riverside restaurant are falsely claiming that their site is located within the ‘Orange’ (Medium) management zone and therefore an allowable development.

Image showing approximate lines of VFNP and WHS boundary
and management zones [click for larger view]

As it appears certain that the area of the VFNP upstream river corridor and riverine fringe is within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' which prohibits all new infrastructure construction there must be an immediate halt to construction of the riverside restaurant (and also by implication the 'tree lodge' development), all impacts on the sites mitigated and their lease concessions with National Parks rescinded.

There are also questions over the allocation of Kandahar Camp for development as a lodge concession as the 2021 State of Conservation zonation map shows this site within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' - where no new infrastructure or facilities are allowed.

Download the Keep Victoria Falls Wild 2023 State of Development Summary Report (pdf, 887kb)

Please sign the online petition against the current wave of tourism development proposals which threaten the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site.

Read more on all these issues and developments on the Keep Victoria Falls Wild website.

Follow our Facebook page Keep Victoria Falls Wild for latest news and updates.

References

State Parties (2007) 2007-2012 Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya World Heritage Site Joint Integrated Management Plan (external download, opens in a new window).

State Parties (2016) 2016-2021 Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya World Heritage Site Joint Integrated Management Plan (external download, opens in a new window).

State Parties (2021) Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya World Heritage Site State of Conservation Report. (external download, opens in a new window).

UNESCO (2022) Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site Reactive Monitoring Mission (February 2022) Draft Report. (pdf download [3.16 mb], opens in a new window)

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (1996) Parks and Wild Life Act.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (November 2022) Victoria Falls-Zambezi National Park Draft Management Plan.

Vic Falls Vendors Face Hard Times, Relocate To Rural Areas

A MAJORITY of informal traders, particularly vegetable vendors in Victoria Falls have reportedly given up on the trade with some relocating to rural areas due to loss of business as a result of the Covid-19 induced lockdown.

Whilst President Emmerson Mnangagwa has allowed vegetable and fruit vendors to operate as one of the key essential services, traders have found the operating environment tough as they either cannot travel to restock or have no customers to buy their goods.

With limited movement as part of the lockdown rules, most residents now prefer to buy from local supermarkets which open until 4.30 pm daily.

“Few people are visiting the vegetable markets,” said Agnes Nyathi, one of the vendors at the once-popular Chinotimba vegetable market.

She said since the lockdown, one can spend the whole day without selling any product.

“On a good day before the lockdown, you could sell goods of between US$10 and US$20, but nowadays, getting a single dollar is a bonus,” she said.

“Many have given up and some have even gone to the rural areas as they could not bear this.”

Many Victoria Falls residents are from surrounding villages in Jambezi, Ndlovu, Matetsi, Chisuma, and Monde among other areas.

With Mnangagwa announcing last Saturday, an indefinite continuation of the lockdown, vendors have nowhere to get produce for resell as travel outside the resort town is restricted.

Vendors used to order from farms in Lupane, Umguza as well as from Bulawayo, Chegutu and Harare

The situation has been further compounded by the closure of the Zambia-Zimbabwe border as vendors also used to get fresh produce from across the border in Zambia.

Zambian vendors would also cross on foot on a daily basis to sell vegetables, tomatoes, green mealies, beans, sweet potatoes, and other goods to Victoria Falls residents.

“We sometimes use trucks to travel but it’s not easy to get a pass from police,” said another vendor, Elvis Manado.

“They always tell us that going to buy vegetables is not a convincing reason for travelling hence we have to come up with some stories so that they give us.

“The other challenge is that because of the transport costs, it ends up being expensive to sell vegetables hence people now prefer to buy from supermarkets where it is cheaper, leaving us with no customers.”

Chairperson of the Chinotimba vegetable market, Lizwe Sibanda said more than half of the vendors no longer come to the market to sell their produce.

“They said people should take turns to go to the market to allow social distancing. Because of that and the difficult operating environment, some have left,” said Sibanda.

A number of vegetable traders have also resorted to selling from their homes in the high-density suburbs further compounding the situation of vendors who trade at designated markets and have to pay daily rentals to the council.

Source: Vic Falls Vendors Face Hard Times, Relocate To Rural Areas (18/05/20)