Kariba Auctions: Business still normal

Laiton Mkandawire in Kariba

The much publicised auction of houseboats, which drew interest from various tourism players in and outside the country was held here on Friday.

The most contested bid was for Unique which was bought for $175 000 by a Zambian national

The auction-sale-in-execution by the Kariba Deputy Sheriff/Messenger of Court included three popular and well-patronised houseboats — Unique (formerly called the Moromou), Millennium and Charisma.

Houseboating is a major tourist attraction.

Therefore, there were fears that the auctioning of the houseboats could be an indication that the lake has been hit by bad times. During the auction, it emerged that the sales were due to ownership wrangles.

However, the new owners of the boats are confident in Kariba as a tourism destination and have said the boats will keep operating in the vast waters of Lake Kariba.

The tourism sector has braved depressed patronage over the past 15 years but it has always managed to keep its proverbial head above the water.

The sale, conducted at Marineland Harbour, attracted an assortment of entrants, including some from across our borders.

A Kariba-based family, already in the business of lodging and house-boating acquired the Millennium for $34 000.

The most hotly contested bid, which also turned to be the highest, was for the Unique houseboat which eventually went for a whopping $175 000 to a Zambian national.

Charisma went for $25 000.

The sale confirmed that investors have got hope in the tourism sector despite apparent hardships.

Meanwhile, fishing in the lake has also been adversely affected, though not necessarily by the lowering lake levels. Low catches of the kapenta (limnothrissa miodon), compounded by the uncontrolled importation of a cheaper Mozambican variety, have reduced prices to an all-time low of $3/kg of dried kapenta, crippling already troubled operations.

Due to this, employment and downstream industries in both the fishing and tourism sectors are threatened.

In light of these challenges, statutory bodies like the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and Lake Navigation Control are expected to effect life-sustaining changes to make the cushion operators.