VP Chiwenga outlines Vic Falls transformation strategy

GOVERNMENT has said it will continue promoting investments in Victoria Falls to ensure the growth of the tourism city into a world class destination.

President Mnangagwa conferred city status to Victoria Falls in December 2019, making it the youngest city in the country.

Victoria Falls has also been designated a Special Economic Zone setting the city as the centre for construction of convention centres, state-of-the-art hotels, medical tourism facilities, financial services hub, shopping malls and tourist activities among others.

Plans are underway to build Masue City, which will have a convention and conference centre, five-star hotels, medical facilities and shopping malls to make Victoria Falls a conference capital.

The SEZ area will include Hwange and Binga districts. In 2020 the Second Republic established the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, the only United States dollar-denominated bourse in the region as part of efforts to implement the SEZ and the counter has since attracted 14 listings in its first three years.

Several hotels including Palm River Hotel, Mbano Manor Hotel, Zambezi Boutique, Mpala Jena and others have been built during the first five years of the Second Republic with a number of other projects underway in the city.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said Government wants to transform Victoria Falls into the little Vegas with state-of the art facilities and infrastructure that is commensurate with a city.

This includes establishing firms and companies outside the tourism sector.

Speaking recently in the tourism capital, Vice President Chiwenga said a number of countries such as India, China and Russia are interested in investing locally as the country continues to fight sanctions.

“What we want is that Victoria Falls should not just be a place of leisure but have an economic activity and the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa will lead this,” he said.

“The infrastructure that has been built here during the Second Republic like Victoria Falls Boutique, Palm River Hotel, Mbano Manor and others are few compared to what is coming. Many countries are interested in coming to work with us,” said VP Chiwenga.

He said the Government was constructing health facilities and pharmacies across the country in every province and Victoria Falls will have a dedicated pharmaceutical centre so that it has medicines ready for tourists as the country promotes medical tourism.

“The President gave you Special Economic Zone status, city status, stock exchange, an art gallery and you have an airport. We want to build non-polluting industries here such as pharmacies and sports facilities,” said Dr Chiwenga.

“We want to build many hospitals so that those from other countries who want to come for treatment while enjoying the natural environment can do so. Victoria Falls should have special magistrates’ courts, a High Court and a Civil Registry to process passports and other documents as we bring services close to the people.”

The VP said the city should have its own TV station. VP Chiwenga said while Government is rehabilitating the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road to enhance access to the destination, plans are underway to fix feeder roads including the Victoria Falls-Binga road that goes via Chisuma, Jambezi and Deka along the Zambezi river to create a greenbelt.

The Second Republic’s ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ mantra and policy of engagement and re-engagement have promoted growth despite sanctions imposed on the country by western countries.

In an interview, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo said the growth of Victoria Falls will translate to growth of the whole province.

“Development of Victoria Falls is important to us as a province because it is a tourism hub and as such its growth will be felt across the entire province,” said Minister Moyo. —@ncubeleon