New hope for Mazeppa Bay Hotel
ECDC on the hunt for new operator for iconic Wild Coast tourism spot
The Eastern Cape Development Corporation is looking for a new operator for the Wild Coast’s Mazeppa Bay Hotel.
The iconic hotel closed its doors in January with its managers complaining, among other things, about the appalling state of the access road.
The development corporation, an Eastern Cape government entity, owns the property.
It hopes to secure a replacement operator on a nine-year lease with option for renewal before the end of March.
ECDC chief executive Ayanda Wakaba said the government had noted challenging conditions faced by the hotel, particularly the state of roads.
When a Dispatch team visited the hotel last week, the team travelled the route from Ibika at Butterworth on the N2.
The route is terrible, with trenches that make driving difficult.
In March 2020, more than 20 people died in a bus accident on the 64km stretch of road, which also leads to the Tafalofefe Hospital.
At the time, the provincial government promised the road would be resurfaced.
In a letter to stakeholders on January 27, the hotel’s last trading day, manager Vanessa Fisher said poor road infrastructure had played a role in its financial performance.
The hotel staffers had tried all avenues to keep operating since Covid-19.
“We have simply not been able to recover from the negative financial impact that Covid-19 had on the business.
“The poor road infrastructure and lack of road maintenance by our provincial/local governments also played a major role in the business’s poor financial performance.”
Wakaba admitted there was a need for “urgent infrastructure improvements” on the road.
“The ECDC continues to engage the government at various levels on the need to effect much-needed infrastructure improvements in the area to support tourism and business activity in general.”
Wakaba said the public would be informed once an appropriate operator had been identified.
“The operator will be required to support local businesses and the community by employing local staff and buying locally whenever possible.”
The closure of the hotel shocked many people, with some lashing out at lack of infrastructure development in rural areas.
The hotel is built on land that is part of Gcina village.
Community committee deputy chair Oska Shumi said his parents worked in the hotel so he had known it from childhood. “Many tourists came and went when we were growing up. As a community, we were able to get employment opportunities.
“Its closing down is a tremendous loss and many homes will go hungry.
“It will affect families, especially those raising children.”
Shumi said people came from Willowvale, Centane and Dutywa for employment.
Cebe village traditional leader Chief Phathuxolo Tyali said the state of the road had negative ripple effects through the communities that used it.
The last time it was properly resurfaced was 10 years ago, he added.
Tyali said there had been instances where people died because it took so long to get to the hospital.
“There is never a time that road is in a good state, it’s always in a terrible state. We have been asking for it to be fixed ... They just do boarding.
“We are close to the sea, so there is a lot of rain, especially in the summer season.
“This impacts on a lot of things. We see the Mazeppa Bay Hotel is closed — it’s the second major impact. At Tafalofefe Hospital, doctors are leaving.
“Service providers struggle to deliver food [and other goods] to the hospital and end up turning back,” he said.
Tyali said there was not much information about when the road would be properly repaired.
He said they were constantly being told that construction of the road was in the planning stages.
Tyali said even though there was an advert for the reopening of the hotel, it would take a while for it to reopen because potential investors would be reluctant to take over if the road was not fixed.
He said the AB 350 buses, which were state-subsidised, were no longer operational on the route, so now locals could only use taxis.
A single trip to Butterworth by taxi is R70, meaning a big dent in the pockets of many people who depend on social grants.
Nombulelo Khwangani, who sold beadwork to tourists inside the hotel, said she now had no venue to sell her crafts so the closure of the establishment hit her livelihood hard.
“I would be hopeful when I saw a car going down to the hotel because I knew that there would be purchases made of my work.
“I have children who were able to go to school and have food every night with the money I made.
“The hotel’s closure hurts. I have lost hope.”
Other residents said the road had steadily deteriorated since about 2012 and all their pleas for intervention to have it repaired fell on deaf ears.
Provincial roads spokesperson Unathi Binqose said they had asked Sanral to assist in a resurfacing project.
“For Mazeppa, there is a desire that when the budget is available we will attend to it.
“Roads leading to tourist destinations are often among our priority routes.”
However, the department’s budget was limited.
“We understand the outcry about roads along the Wild Coast destinations and it is fair.
“The role of road infrastructure as an enabler of economic development can never be downplayed.”
Cebe community member Mzolisi Madikane said part of the road near Tafalofefe was in a terrible state.
He said they had asked that it be fixed but the contractors just delivered piles of stones and left them lying there.
Madikane said denials that the road contributed to the closure of the hotel were misplaced.
“If you don’t have a bakkie, you will never make it to the hotel,” he said.
He said Tafalofefe had lost doctors and other professionals due to the state of the road.
Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo confirmed the road was in a bad state but said the department was aware of a programme by the government to rehabilitate roads leading to health facilities.
“We understand that there is an ongoing programme that is aimed at fixing roads.
“For instance, the government has already done the road between the R61 and Isiloment in Port St Johns.
“They are currently doing the road between Ngqeleni and Canzibe hospital,” Kupelo said.
Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency spokesperson Oyanga Ngalika said their core responsibilities were centred on ensuring tourism offerings were accessible to tourists.
“While we appreciate the introduction of flight routes to areas such as East London and Mthatha, further enhancements are essential for accessibility.
“We also recognise the efforts made to improve our road infrastructure.
“But completion of these projects in the province is crucial to further enhance our destination’s appeal.
“As such, we continuously lobby the organisations responsible for that to assist.”
Ngalika said their other objective was product development that would ensure the Eastern Cape offered worthwhile, unique and memorable experiences to visitors.
Tourists’ safety was a paramount concern.
“We are actively working with local communities, municipalities, police and other relevant partners to ensure a safe environment for all visitors, understanding that safety underpins the success and sustainability of tourism in our region.”