Tourists fined for stealing boat

The trio was convicted of two counts of contravening Section 116 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23 (unlawful borrowing or use of property) and contravening Section 129 (1) (3) as read with Section 37 (1) (b) of the Parks and Wildlife Regulations 1262/1990 of the Parks and Wildlife Act, Chapter 20:12 (using a vessel during the night).

Trzcinski, Dabrowski and Perini were convicted on their own plea of guilty. For the first count, they were each fined $200 (or four months in prison) and $300 each (or five months in prison) for the second count. It was the State case as presented by the prosecutor, Miss Namatai Ngwashi, that on 23 September at around 4pm, the three tourists arrived in Victoria Falls from South Africa and were booked at A ‘Zambezi River Lodge.

At 11pm, the trio went to Zambezi Fishing Safaris jetty along the Zambezi River. While at the jetty they untied a fishing boat which was docked, belonging to Mr Cornelis Jacob Gelduys of House Number 550 Aerodrome, Victoria Falls, who is the director of Zambezi Fishing Safaris and peddled it into the Zambezi River waters, putting the boat to use without the complainant’s authority. After peddling for about two hours, Trzcinski, Dabrowski and Perini returned the boat to the jetty. The hotel authorities discovered the offence and alerted the police at Victoria Falls leading to their arrest. The boat is valued at $6 000 and was recovered.

Source: Tourists fined for stealing boat  (28/09/12)

UNWTO General Assembly preparations in disarray

­­ The much-anticipated United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly set for next year hangs in the balance as Zimbabwe, the co-host country, is yet to start the renovation and construction of infrastructure to host the global event.

A year after winning the bid, government is yet to start constructing a convention centre, hotel, villas and a shopping mall on 1, 200 hectares of land.

Government is also yet to secure enough money for the construction work, throwing the entire preparatory process into disarray. In its 2012 budget, Zimbabwe only set aside US$1 million for the construction of the convention centre, which is not enough for all the projects.

Government is instead mulling building a semi-permanent structure made from aluminium glass fabrication – which it claims would last for 15 to 20 years – at Chogm Park, north of Sprayview Hotel in Victoria Falls.

However, Tourism and Hospitality Industry minister, Walter Mzembi said that the country will successfully host the assembly next year.

“Every resource we need is in place, what’s left is the implementation part of making it a success” he said.

Despite Mzembi’s optimism, The Standard observed that surveyors only began working on the centre on Friday last week.

“Surveyors are going to start working on the conference centre and temporary structure,” said Mzembi. “We are still going ahead with the conference centre, shopping mall and Victoria Falls will become a Victorian City from now onwards. As long as I am the chairman of tourism, we are going to successfully host the congress,” he said.

Former Tourism and Hospitality Industry secretary, Sylvester Maunganidze was recently transferred from the ministry after he disclosed to parliament that Zimbabwe had lied about the state of its infrastructure in order to win the bid to host tourism’s biggest global event.

Zimbabwe and Zambia are set to co-host the prestigious event where up to 4 000 participants are expected to attend from the 180-member countries.

Last week, Mzembi and Zambia’s Tourism and Arts minister, Sylvia Masebo signed a joint communiqué which is in line with the provisions of the Bilateral Implementation Framework on the co-hosting of the UNWTO assembly

The joint communiqué stated that the co-hosts would share costs equally and that they would also use the Joint Implementation Framework as a guideline for the successful hosting of the event.

Zimbabwe last week launched a countdown to the 2013 UNWTO assembly in Victoria Falls, an event that will see the city celebrating every month with various artistic performances.

In order to host the conference, Zimbabwe has to upgrade the Victoria Falls airport, revamp water and sewer reticulation systems, resurface roads and rehabilitate the hospital in the resort town.

There is also need for an efficient airline, but Air Zimbabwe – which is reeling from debts and problems associated with old equipment – is only servicing the Harare-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls route, only three days a week.

The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. Its ordinary ‎sessions, held every two years, are attended by delegates of the Full and Associate ‎Members, as well as representatives from the Business Council.‎

It is also the most important meeting of senior tourism officials and high-level ‎representatives of the private sector from all over the world.

Zambia and Zimbabwe are the hosts of the 2013 edition of the General Assembly.

Source: UNWTO General Assembly preparations in disarray (26/08/2012)

  

Mosi oa Tunya’s dreams go up in smoke

Many residents hoped for jobs and that the infrastructure that would be constructed and left behind for life after UNWTO would change the face of their town.

However, with reports that a major project — the proposed convention centre that was supposed to house two hotels, a conference centre to accommodate more than 5 000 delegates and a shopping mall, would no longer be constructed — the zeal in some residents over the assembly has markedly gone down.

There were great expectations that hundreds of unemployed youths and those with qualifications like Class One builders would be employed.

There were great expectations that individuals’ status in society would improve for those who would have secure employment.

Residents were dreaming big, hoping and praying that the proposed developments would really change their lives as they anticipated that as locals, they would be the ones to provide all the much needed labour for the projects.

But the unemployed are losing patience. Only a few builders will be engaged for the expansion project of the Victoria Falls District Hospital.

To stakeholders, to the general residents, there is a feeling that dreams of a new Victoria Falls are slowly coming to an end.

Soon after Zimbabwe and Zambia won the bid, Victoria Falls was said to be poised for a major uplift ahead of the general assembly.

There were reports that the Government had raised more than $200 million for different projects earmarked for the resort town.

At the same time, there were revelations that some regional financial institutions had availed tailor-made loan facilities for refurbishment of infrastructure.

According to stakeholders giving presentations during a meeting early this year, resources had been put in place for the expansion and refurbishment of Victoria Falls District Hospital into a state-of-the-art institution, upgrading Victoria Falls International Airport, relocation of the dumpsite, provision of dust bins for every household, television and radio access and the rehabilitation of the sewer and water reticulation systems, among other major projects.

And for a hospitality sector that has over the past six to seven years failed to refurbish because of the challenges ranging from unavailability of credit lines and unavailability of attractive loans from banks, this was a great opportunity to ride the wave and get the assistance to upgrade.

Reports were that the Government had released $70 million under the Zimbabwe Economic and Trade Revival facility to benefit players in the tourism industry.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe was said to have been given a $150 million lifeline for the expansion of the Victoria Falls International Airport runway, a new terminal and tower.

The Government was said to have also released $2,5 million for the rehabilitation of trunk roads, $822 000 for the rehabilitation of council roads, $6,9 million for the upgrading of Victoria Falls Hospital and other health facilities.

For upgrading of Victoria Falls water supply, Zinwa and Victoria Falls Municipality were allocated about $15 million.

Works included upgrading of the water sewer plant, construction of a 1 000-cubic metre reservoir for Mkhosana and the rehabilitation and expansion of sewer ponds.

The International Development Bank of South Africa was also said to have come up with a $30 million facility to be accessed through the International Development Bank of Zimbabwe.

It is now almost a year since the country won the bid in South Korea to co-host the mega event which according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Dr Sylvester Maunganidze, was the only chance this generation had of hosting the conference as the next time was likely to be after 300 years.

“So we have to make the best out of it. UN is a member-state organisation and over 100 plus sovereign countries, all members of the UN visiting us, it therefore becomes a diplomatic engagement and therefore the need for diplomatic expectations. We are therefore ambassadors of the country and everything we do should be in the best interest of the country,” he said recently.

Dr Maunganidze added that Zimbabwe had it all in terms of attractions, the people and the infrastructure.

“What therefore is remaining are the little details, the finishing touches like clean rooms without mosquitoes or lice, clean cutlery and availability of needles, buttons, toothbrushes in the rooms for the guests. They are the little things that count,” he said.

Unfortunately while that might be true, there is really nothing on the ground to show that the country is ready to host the event.

Week in, week out government officials report that there is progress taking place and that things are shaping up but in reality, nothing is happening.

While no one is disputing the fact that what won the bid was not new structures but the existing infrastructure, and that Rooney’s went and showcased its state-of-the-art tents which they said accommodate over 3 000 people, with air-condition, perfect lighting and all, residents, stakeholders especially of Victoria Falls had the idea that after the UNWTO, there would be left a legacy, there would be left infrastructure, borne out of the general assembly.

But now, the only tangible thing is part of the pre-cast wall that is being constructed at the Victoria Falls District Hospital.

Yet others are contending that construction of a beautiful wall before the wards are extended, before a new theatre is put in place, any machinery is bought is like putting the cart before the horse.

Residents say that an audit currently taking place should end sooner rather than later so that the construction continues.

At is stands; work towards the refurbishment of the hospital has been brought to a halt after the hospital staff allegedly refused to pay suppliers of services.

The hospital authorities are said to be querying the tender processes that saw a lot of Victoria Falls-based companies getting tenders to supply the institution with various services for the first time in a number of years.

The Mayor of Victoria Falls who is also the UNWTO Local Organising Committee chairperson, Councilor Nkosilathi Jiyane said work at the hospital shall remain stalled until an audit is carried out on how tenders were awarded.

“We hope that work shall resume soon. At the moment nothing is happening there because some staff queried the tender process and as a result, many people who had supplied building material and other goods to the hospital were not paid and they had to stop work.

“Work is supposed to include refurbishment of wards, construction of a new block, putting up of a pre-cast wall and medical supplies,” he said.

On the convention centre, Clr Jiyane said that was no longer going to be done within time for the UNWTO conference next year but shall, instead be a long term project.

“The Government had wanted to construct a convention centre for the UNWTO conference but now we are instead going to come up with a semi-permanent conference facility near the CHOGM Park and it is going to be constructed by a South African company that was involved in the construction of World Cup stadiums in that country.

“The temporary structure can last up to about 25 years and it takes six months to put up. We are therefore within time for the UNWTO conference,” he added.

Residents said when the country hosted (Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting) CHOGM in the late 1990’s, the raw water pumping system was revamped and to this day they attribute its existence to the Commonwealth event. They also said ablution blocks for school children were constructed at Chamabondo Primary School which was hosting some delegates.

They reckon that the UNWTO is most likely to benefit hotels and tour companies and leave no lasting memory for them.

“We thought there would be so much development ahead of the general assembly but with less than a year to go, there is really nothing for us. We thought we would be employed even for menial work but zero.

“Most of the employees doing the wall at Victoria Falls District Hospital are employed by that Bulawayo company that won the tender. So really, there isn’t anything for us,” said Mr Bhekimpilo Siziba from Chinotimba Township.

A tourism operator who spoke on condition of anonymity said operators had failed to access funds from any local and regional banks which promised to assist them so that they could recapitalise.

“If there are facilities, tell me. We had hoped for facilities that have low interest rates but there is nothing like that out there.

“That’s why even if you go around Victoria Falls no one really is refurbishing or has beefed up tour vehicles.

“On top of that, Statutory Instrument (SI) 124 and 125 put in place for us to recapitalise is not there. Zimra at the border says it expired while on the other hand, government officials say that it is there. So there is no facility for the tourism sector players to recapitalise,” said a tour operator.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, chief operating officer, Mr Givemore Chidzidzi said the SI had run its course and was no longer relevant.

“Preparations for the general assembly are taking place in Victoria Falls and other areas. Operators are equipping themselves but they have a major challenge on incentives to re-equip, refurbish and retool.

“The SI to do with the buying of vehicles duty-free expired. There was SI 43 and 60 of 2009 which were replaced by SI 124 and 125 of 2011 but that facility has been reduced and therefore there is an outcry from the sector.

“We would have wished for the SI to be extended towards the UNWTO. We need investment in Victoria Falls; we need right types of vehicles, coaches, bedding and all that to make our product the best,” he said.

Source: Mosi oa Tunya’s dreams go up in smoke (1/8/17)

Victoria Falls home of true African hospitality, adventure

Not taking anything away from Old Trafford, for tour and adventure lovers, the actual Theatre of Dreams is Victoria Falls — the resort town built around the God-given natural wonder, the Victoria Falls Rainforest.

Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River, about 1000km from its source. To the Tonga people on the Zimbabwean and Zambian side of the river, the Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is referred to as Mosi-Oya-Tunya, literally meaning the “Cloud that Thunders.”

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed that it is the largest. This claim is based on a width of 1 708 metres and height of 108 metres, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The falls’ maximum flow rate compares well with that of other major waterfalls.

The falls are formed as the full width of the river plummets in a single vertical drop into a transverse chasm 1708 metres wide, carved by its waters along a fracture zone in the basalt plateau.

The depth of the chasm, called the First Gorge, varies from 80 metres at its western end to 108 metres in the centre.

The only outlet to the First Gorge is 110 metres wide, about two-thirds of the way across the width of the falls from the western end, through which the whole volume of the river pours into the Victoria Falls gorges.

There are two islands on the crest of the falls that are large enough to divide the curtain of water even at full flood: Boaruka Island (or Cataract Island) near the western bank and Livingstone Island near the middle — the place that David Livingstone first saw the falls from Zambia.

At less than full flood, additional islets divide the curtain of water into separate parallel streams.
The main streams are named, in order from Zimbabwe (west) to Zambia (east): Devil’s Cataract (called Leaping Water by some), Main Falls, Rainbow Falls (the highest) and the Eastern Cataract.

So around this feature, described as an incomparable and exquisite feature by Reverend Paul Bayethe Damasane in his opening prayer at the signing ceremony of the co-hosting of the UNWTO General Assembly by Zambia and Zimbabwe held at the historic Victoria Falls Bridge in front of the mighty Victoria Falls which was spraying delegates, the Theatre of Dreams for the tourism sector was constructed.

European settlement in the Victoria Falls area started around 1900 in response to the desire by Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company to get mineral rights and imperial rule north of the Zambezi and the exploitation of other natural resources such as timber north-east of the falls, and ivory and animal skins.

In 1904 the Victoria Falls hotel was opened to accommodate visitors arriving on the new railway.
From 1905 the railway offered accessible travel to whites from as far as the Cape in the south and from 1909, as far as the Belgian Congo in the north.

Victoria Falls today is an important tourist centre, providing varied accommodation and adrenalin activities to many foreign and local tourists.

And so Victoria Falls is the Theatre of Dreams for adrenalin “junkies” as there are more than 50 products offered by tour and adventure companies.

These include safari, backpacking photography, adventure, rafting, bungee jumping, jungle/rainforest, eco-tourism, historical, water sports, among others.

There are two national parks around the falls, namely Mosi-Oya-Tunya which is 66 square kilometers, and Victoria Falls National Park which is 23 square kilometers. Next to the Victoria Falls National Park on the southern bank is the Zambezi National Park extending 40 kilometres west along the river.

Animals can move between the two Zimbabwean parks and can also reach Matetsi Safari area, Kazuma Pan national park and Hwange National Park to the south.

Although Zimbabwe has had recent economic difficulties, Victoria Falls town has always been somewhat removed and the people are as welcoming and friendly as ever.

On vegetation, mopane woodland savannah is most dominant with smaller areas of miombo and Rhodesian Teak woodland and scrubland. Riverine forest with palm trees lines the banks and islands above the falls. The most notable aspect of the area’s vegetation though is the rainforest nurtured by the spray from the falls, containing plants rare for the area such as pod mahogany, ebony, ivory, palm, wild date palm and a number of creepers and lianas.

Unfortunately, vegetation has suffered in recent droughts, and so have the animals that depend on it, particularly antelope. In terms of wildlife, the national parks contain abundant wildlife including the elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and a variety of antelope. Lion and the leopard are also seen.
Monkeys and baboons are very common and so are the warthogs. The river above the falls contains large populations of hippopotamus and the crocodile and elephants cross the river in the dry season at particular crossing points.

Klipspringers and clawless otters can be glimpsed in the gorges, but they are mainly known for 35 species of raptors. The Taita, Black Eagle, Peregrine and Augur Buzzard breed there. Above the falls, herons, fish eagles and numerous kinds of waterfowl are common.

For fish lovers, the river is home to 39 species of fish below the falls and 89 species above it. This illustrates the effectiveness of the falls as a dividing barrier between the upper and lower Zambezi.
There is so much diversity of what one can do within a 150km radius of the bridge.

There are three countries within reach of Victoria Falls, namely Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and there are four major airports namely: Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Kasane and Katima Mulilo International airports.

Within 500km of Victoria Falls, there are 25 national parks, seven major airports and four countries which are Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia and there is nowhere else in the world where a town can link to other countries in that short distance.

So this is a Theatre of Dreams.

All within a couple of hours drive, you can be in Katima Mulilo-Namibia, Kasane-Botswana all within reach of Victoria Falls town — the Theatre of Dreams.

Victoria Falls is also one of the safest destinations in the world.

To ensure Victoria Falls remains a safe and friendly environment, Tourism Police was started in 2004. They are there to look out for you, guide and assist you. The unit continues to operate seven days a week and you will see them in their smart uniforms with yellow reflective bibs in all the main tourist areas of the town.

Celebrities that include the late pop star, Michael Jackson, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, heads of state and government, preachers like Joyce Meyer and millions of foreign and domestic tourists have been here — they have been to the Theatre of Dreams. As preparations for the co-hosting of the UNWTO general assembly next year gathers momentum, it means more activities, more structures to make the Theatre of Dreams more and more attractive. With the UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr Taleb Rifai endorsing the country as a safe tourism destination open for business and also urging the people from around the world to come to the country to see and feel for themselves the country’s splendor and hospitality — it can only be one’s figment of the imagination that the world will again fall for the tricks of the United States and her allies to refuse to visit a destination rich with theatre, history and adventure that awaits visitors with open arms.

“By coming here, it is recognition, an endorsement that the country is a safe destination,” said Mr Rifai recently.

“In view of the negative publicity Zimbabwe has been subjected to as a tourism destination, what I can only do is to urge all those to come and see for themselves. Zimbabwe is a safe destination, they should come and feel the land, the people’s warmth and hospitality,” he said.

Source: Victoria Falls home of true African hospitality, adventure (12/06/12)

Tour operators accused of trying to ‘sabotage’ VIP bridge event

In an interview in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke said the actions by the operators almost led to Mr Rifai cancelling his trip to the country.

He, however, said while he understood that operators in Victoria Falls had not been officially told that the Victoria Falls Bridge will be closed before and during the signing ceremony of the Trilateral Host Agreement by President Mugabe and his Zambian counterpart Michael Sata, they had no right to tell the outside world that the signing ceremony was going to derail or stop tourism activities at the bridge and between Livingstone and Victoria Falls.

“We have heard that some players had written to the Secretary General complaining about his coming here. While we might not have communicated with them they should not have done that. We will do things and involve the people of Victoria Falls,” he said.

“We cannot blame them for trying to discourage the secretary general from coming but they should have come to us. This was an element of sabotage and we say no to that, it is a very bad behaviour and we need to rein them in,” said Mr Kaseke.

Meanwhile, Mr Kaseke said his authority was going to consider giving back another star to Elephant Hills resort after Mr Rifai commended the facility as first class.

The hotel had been downgraded to a four-star from a five-star after a fall in standards.
However, Mr Rifai described it as a first class facility after inspecting it.

“Yes they have impressed the secretary general and if they continue we will give them another star,” he said.

Source: Tour operators in ‘sabotage’ attempt (4/6/12)

‘More hotels needed in Vic Falls’

Addressing the media in Victoria Falls on the sidelines of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) 37th World Congress, he said tourism investment was now a major priority to allow for more investors to provide accommodation.

“Victoria Falls is under-hotelled. We are far below in terms of the available rooms for tourists. In the next five, seven to 15 years the present numbers will be little. We need to invest in accommodation as the tourism industry,” he said.

He said there were slightly over 2 200 rooms in Victoria Falls — a number, he said, was far too low compared to the projected increase in arrivals in the country’s tourism hub.

“If we maintain this level, we will be crying. We need to increase by 1 000 to 1 500 in the next five years.”

Mr Kaseke also said there was a need to invest in night life in the resort town.

Meanwhile, Mr Kaseke said Zimbabwe had broken the ATA record by having the highest number of tourism ministers and delegates attending the 37th congress.

He said there were 13 ministers from countries such as Senegal, Ghana, Central African Republic, Gambia, Chad, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Uganda.

“We are very happy with the development and this is an endorsement of the country after a rough patch that saw arrivals nosedive to as low as 1,2 million tourists from a high of 2,2 million arrivals,” he said.

Mr Kaseke said the country was still second in arrivals in the region after South Africa and was number four on the continent.

ATA executive director Mr Edward Bergman said the organisation had endorsed the country as a place for tourists to come and do business.

Source: ‘More hotels needed in Vic Falls’ (23/5/12)

1 200ha tourism park for Vic Falls

Government has acquired 1 200 hectares of land in Victoria Falls for the construction of a tourism park as the country gears for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly meeting next year. Zimbabwe will co-host the world tourism conference -- to be graced by more than 3 000 delegates -- with its northern neighbour Zambia

Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi said last week preparations for the event were proceeding smoothly.

Minister Mzembi said several infrastructural developments were in the pipeline.

“We hope that construction work on the theme park will start in June this year on an initial area of about 80 hectares,” said Minister Mzembi.
“The park will house a state-of-the-art convention centre, casinos and shopping malls, among other structures that are aimed at making sure that the next year’s event is a success.”

The UNWTO General Assembly will help Zimbabwe and Zambia, which share the might Victoria Falls, to showcase their tourism potential to an larger international audience expected to grace the event.

Source: 1 200ha tourism park for Vic Falls (06/05/2012)