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planning to repossess hotels under the Rainbow Tourism Group stable.
The Herald Business this week carried a story quoting Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke as saying that ZTA planned to “repossess” five RTG hotels in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, as part of its new business thrust.
He said this in South Korea where Zimbabwe and Zambia won the bid to host the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly.
But Engineer Mzembi said contrary to this, the Presidency and Cabinet were agreed on a strategy to consolidate RTG’s performance.
“The Presidency and Cabinet, including the Minister of Finance, are agreed on the way forward with the Rainbow Tourism Group. The agreed way forward has nothing to do with a repossession of the group’s hotels by the ZTA as stated in the article.
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“It is agreed that Government should immediately move to a greater interest in the RTG and drive serious efforts to recapitalise, rebrand and reposition the group,” he said.
Engineer Mzembi said his office had been inundated with inquiries from the Cabinet office and other stakeholders who sought to establish the authenticity of the reports.
RTG chairperson Mrs Tracy Mpofu on Monday wrote to Minister Mzembi, seeking clarification on the issue.
“We hereby seek clarity on the official Government position regarding the matter,” read the letter. “Your intervention will be most appreciated as the report is very damaging to Rainbow Tourism Group in the market.”
Other analysts had also queried how Government would repossess hotels intrinsically linked into a stock exchange system. RTG is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.
The infuriated Minister Mzembi said Government policy pronouncements in respect of the tourism industry were his exclusive responsibility.
“Tourism stakeholders, public and private sector office holders, should desist from upgrading their sectoral personal opinions to policy pronouncements when engaging the media. They should instead, lobby the minister to adopt and mainstream their ideas into Government policy, which policy only the minister can pronounce.”
This is not the first time Minister Mzembi has clashed with Mr Kaseke over issues pertaining to the tourism ministry, with the latter stressing that such pronouncements would not compromise efforts to develop tourism and the economy at large.
“Let’s celebrate the fact that the UNWTO general assembly is coming to our country,” said the minister. “That is where the focus should be, so let’s not create sideshows that magnify our negatives.
“Time has come in our activities, speeches and demeanors to speak the UNWTO general assembly language. It’s not repossession time, it’s time for growth.”
He stressed that the fact that President Mugabe had appended his signature on the bid meant the impending hosting of the meeting was a national programme that he and his Zambian counterpart Michael Sata
would declare the assembly national programmes at the appropriate time.
“In the meantime, let us not create any side-shows that take away the brand equity.”
Eng Mzembi commended Secretary for Tourism and Hospitality Dr Sylvester Maunganidze and Mr Kaseke himself for leading a diplomatic shuttle that went to Madrid, Spain twice to bid for Zimbabwe and Zambia to hold the general assembly.
“So let’s build on that to produce a unique WTO general assembly for 2013,” he said.
Online Reporter