A Chinese investor is set
to build a spin wheel at the Victoria Falls
after buying off land where the Mukuni curio traders conduct business.
And Victoria Falls Mukuni
Curio Traders Association chairperson Fabian Siazibola has confirmed being
approached by representatives of the Chinese investor who told them that
traders will have to vacate the premises in readiness for the wheel
construction.
However, tourism minister
Charles Banda says he is not aware that a Chinese investor has been give land
at the Victoria Falls but confirmed that some
investors had made application for the land in question. Government sources
have revealed that part of the Victoria Falls would be run by the Chinese who
will put up a play park similar to Disneyland .
The Chinese investor has
since been given permission to remove traders from the site to pave way for
construction works.
“We have been instructed
to give land at the Victoria Falls by the
government. The instructions were sent to the Ministry of Tourism from State
House. The named Chinese investor (Ju Wenbin) the CEO of China-Africa Cotton
Development Limited was even taken on a conducted tour of the Vic Falls
The source added that the
Department of Wildlife and Zambia Environmental Management Agency had not been
involved in the land allocation which would have required an Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) in normal circumstances.
“We informed the
government about the dangers of this development with UNESCO, but it seems the
PF leadership is in a compromised situation,” the source added.
When reached for a
comment, National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) director Collins
Chipote said he was not the best person to give an answer on the issue.
“That you can confirm with
the ministry, I may not be the best person to respond to that. Get in touch
with the ministry,” said Chipote despite him heading an institution that in
charge of heritage sites such as the Victoria Falls .
And Siazibola said the
traders would never allow the Chinese to put up the wheel with or without
government’s permission.
“Over our dead bodies, we
will never allow this to happen. The Victoria Falls
is our sacred land as a people of Mukuni village; it is a shrine to us…and it
is not for sale even to the highest bidder. We have three shrines here and we
will protect them with our lives. Let them take the wheel to the Northern
Circuit. I will not be surprised that the PF government will sale Zambia
Siazibola said.
He said the Chinese
investor was likely to take over the management of the Victoria
Falls just like what happened to ZNBC through Top Star.
“We the people of Mukuni
village will never allow the Falls to be sold…we also hear that the PF has
placed the Kafue National Park Zambia
The Victoria Falls is Zambia ’s only World Heritage Site shared with Zimbabwe
A Hungarian investor who
had planned to put up a hot air balloon near the Zesco power station was
stopped by NHCC a couple of years ago despite having commenced the construction
program.
And a hotel project near
the old Maramba Cultural Village
When contacted, Banda said
he was not aware that land at the Victoria Falls had been given out, adding
that State House had no mandate to allocate land but the Ministry of Lands.
He, however, confirmed
that there were applications from some investors for the Victoria
Falls land. Asked if a Chinese investor has been allocated land at
the site, Banda said he would not be in a position to know.
“I am not aware, at the
moment I don’t know who has been given land but applications are there. If
anybody has been given, the Ministry of Lands will be able to know. Not State
State House spokesperson
Amos Chanda was constantly busy when phoned for a comment while the
Commissioner of Lands was reportedly out of office and his mobile phone was
switched off by press time.
Source: PF sells land near Victoria falls, wants chinese to erect spin wheel (02/11/17)
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