Let there be sanity in the rainforest

Last week I was on a tour of Victoria Falls and got a bit uncomfortable about the events surrounding the rainforest and a new restaurant constructed there by Shearwater, in conjunction with National Parks.
The Victoria Falls, by far one of Africa’s most celebrated tourist attractions, has been at the centre of an ownership wrangle between the National Parks Wildlife Management Authority and National Museums and Monuments.
Parks must be given credit for professionally and ably running the Victoria Falls National Park since the pre-independence period until this day, yet the Museums should explain why they have run down the Great Zimbabwe, to the extent that its wildlife species, including the hare, have disappeared.
What then justifies the Museums’ bid to run the rainforest, including the falls themselves, when they cannot run a simple venture like Great Zimbabwe?
Ironically, the row was sparked by the construction of a state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly restaurant at the exit point of the rainforest.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority saw nothing wrong with the restaurant and granted it a licence but attached to the licence was a letter by ZTA chief Karikoga Kaseke stating that the restaurant would only operate when the two warring parties had resolved their differences.
Certainly ZTA played it safe but the vultures are circling, wanting to take over the restaurant from Shearwater.
At first detractors of the project said the structure was illegal and now those who opposed its construction say they want to run it.
Which is which and what is what?
The battle for control of the falls, a cash cow in its own right, should now be interpreted and dealt with by the Attorney- General’s Office.
As the Government’s lawyer, the AG should make an interpretation on whether the National Parks and Wildlife Management Act can be overridden by the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe Act.
Certainly the AG must judge on which Act supercedes another but from a layman’s point of view it is quite clear that the monuments have no bigger stake there. All we are doing as a nation is pitting ourselves against ourselves.
The reason is simple; this is an eating place! Who doesn’t want to eat a sumptuous meal?
Generally, the Parks Act is clear on what should be done while the Museums Act sounds full of absurdities, based on regulations and not the actual Act.
It is fact not fiction that regulations cannot contradict the main Act but in the interest of fairness and justice, the AG should prescribe medication to this problem and put the matter to rest because the more we bicker among ourselves, the more we scare away the tourists.
This is tourism, and politics must not play any role because with passage of time, it should be noted that a private contractor went into partnership with Government (National Parks) and constructed a world- class restaurant and the contractor put in his money and should recoup the expenses.
Now for the same Government (Museums) to fight the project certainly scares away potential investors and this brings into question the need as Zimbabweans to have collective responsibility for our development and destiny.
This is Zimbabwe fighting Zimbabwe for cash.
It is clear the issue is about money and not competence but we should not sing our enemy’s song.
Trying to make two such enemies work together on such an international tourist attraction is akin to yoking together a cow and a donkey.
While on tour of Victoria Falls I was saddened to note that there were too many threats to the environment and the World Heritage Site in the town than the restaurant.
For example, right in town near the Rainbow Hotel, there are horse stables, stinking badly, and no one says anything about them, then there is a new school right in the city centre in what is generally referred to as Nkosana suburb.
These are double standards.
Who has said anything about the raw sewage spewing directly into the Zambezi?
Sanity must prevail at the falls before we scare away the tourists that bring in the cash and do perception management for us.
isadore.guvamombe @zimapers.co.zw