“We are leasing the premises from the council. We have lease agreements and we do not know how the ministry is getting involved in this issue. We are afraid that someone is trying to elbow us out of the business and takeover,” said one of the affected businessman, who refused to be named for fear of victimization.
He said there was panic among commercial tour and boat operators in the resort town following incident, which is widely seen as politically motivated.
“I think the takeover is ill-timed. These guys have committed substantial amounts towards acquiring new boats ahead of the United Nations World Tourism Organization meeting next year. Instead of evicting these guys, the government should have supported them,” said Charity Sobukazi, a black tour operator in the area.
The Victoria Falls Town Council has tried to stop the evictions, arguing that the government has no jurisdiction over the land. The local authority assumed ownership of the 15-hectare piece of land where the club is located when the premier tourism resort assumed town status 10 years ago. Some of the affected boat operators have been leasing the land since 1972. Victoria Falls mayor, Nkosilathi Jiyane switched off his phone when this reporter asked him to comment about the issue.
Post published in: Business