Fresh hope for Mazeppa Bay Hotel

The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) is looking for a new operator for the Mazeppa Bay Hotel on the Wild Coast on a nine-year lease with an option for renewal.

The iconic hotel closed in January with its managers complaining, among other things, about the appalling state of the access road.

The ECDC, an Eastern Cape government entity, owns the property. It hopes to secure a replacement operator 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.

The route from Ibika at Butterworth on the N2 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 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.

“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 improvement of 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.”

Community committee deputy chair Oska Shumi said his parents had worked in the hotel and were able to raise them in this way.

“As a community, we were able to get employment opportunities. Its closing down is a tremendous loss and many homes will go hungry.”

Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said they had asked Sanral to assist in resurfacing the road.

“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.”