The Victoria Falls community stands together to weather the storm
Covid-19 seriously affected tourism in Victoria Falls. But the Victoria Falls Covid-19 Taskforce, a public and private initiative, was determined to fight against the effects of the pandemic and help the town’s people.
Christie Brookstein’s passion is coloured by misting eyes when describing how “the whole of Victoria Falls” came together to fight Covid-19. Brookstein works with the Ndau (jewellery) Collection in Victoria Falls, a tourist town positioned alongside one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is built almost entirely around tourism and its support services.
“Watching the spread of the virus around the rest of the world, and after conversations with my aunt and uncle, who work in the medical profession in the UK, we realised this place was going to be in dire straits, we were looking at a potential mass disaster.”
What resonated most with Brookstein was the complete absence of a plan. She said the existing “plan” for those who contracted Covid-19 did not sound comforting either.
“If you got Covid in Victoria Falls, the plan was they would transport you to Bulawayo infectious disease unit, which wasn’t even functioning at the time.” As with public bathroom facilities, public hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa do not have the best reputation.
Brookstein then approached a local businessperson, the owner of the Elephant’s Walk arts and crafts centre, Gail van Jaarsveld – “a human dynamo”. The result was the formation of a voluntary group in March 2020. The group comprised the public and private sectors that prepared for and responded to the fight against Covid-19 to minimise its effects. Called the Victoria Falls Covid-19 Taskforce, it is led by the district medical officer.
With the Falls resembling a ghost town, the taskforce set about using the resources at its disposal, from finances and networks to human capital, to address critical issues such as food security and medical care.
“We had all the private-sector tourism players, the council, ministry of health, individuals ... basically anyone who cared about the town asking how they could help.”
Brookstein says they split into teams, focusing on various aspects, so that the town could make it through the crisis.
More than keeping business alive, Brookstein says the initiative was about keeping people alive.
“We knew work was going to collapse, there was no option to bring tourists here or provide work. It became more about how to keep people fed, and when they got sick, where they would go and how.”
She says that top of mind was the fact that a private hospital at that stage cost $5,000 “upfront before you walked in and received treatment”.
Sculptor and Rastafarian Moses Kalembela, speaking from the place where he creates his art (not curios) in the centre, says things were bad. “I needed to get out of my apartment, but I also didn’t have enough savings to keep going.”
Kalembela says the taskforce was “a blessing to less-privileged people, supplying us with basic commodities, like milk, soap, tea”.
With such desperation, the topic of crime was raised. But Kalembela says that “happily” there was nothing he was aware of besides poaching incidents.
Shelley Cox, a long-time stalwart of the tourism industry and an advocate for collaborative efforts that benefit the destination, says the minimal crime seen during the pandemic was related more to food for survival than “commercial poaching”.
Cox is the programme coordinator of an initiative called We Are Victoria Falls, which she describes as a local crisis communications platform, a public-private partnership supported by the International Finance Corporation.
The initiative communicates “reliable, up-to-date information on the destination’s management of Covid-19 and ... readiness to receive visitors”.
She says the initiative was formed to “celebrate the tourism community as part of Zimbabwe and the wider conservation region beyond our borders”.
During the early stages of the pandemic, one of Cox’s heroes was Dr Fungai Mvula, the acting district medical officer for Matabeleland North, which includes Hwange and Victoria Falls. “She and her team were amazing. They were at the forefront of getting Victoria Falls vaccinated. We had 75% people vaccinated in the first month.”
Kalembela says there was no resistance to the vaccination drive: “everyone works in tourism” and was willing to do what it takes to get tourists back.
Cox says that attitude has helped the town (now designated a city) get through. She cites Masauso Sakala, the owner of Ultimate Fishing Safaris, as an example. Sakala suffered a personal tragedy in January 2021 when a solar battery exploded, which caused a fire that destroyed his family home, burning all their personal belongings and leaving them stranded without a home.
“This happened at a time when the [effects] of the Covid-19 pandemic had already impacted the family due to the downturn in tourism, but in true Victoria Falls style, the community rallied around to provide the family with donations of clothes, furniture, linen, appliances and food, whilst assisting to get materials and labour to ensure the family home was rebuilt as quickly as possible.”
In just under three weeks, Sakala’s home had taken shape. The community had rebuilt most of the brickwork for the house walls.
“To have been part of, and witnessed the generosity of spirit, resilience and determination of this tourism hub and the people who live in and around Victoria Falls over the course of the last year and a half, despite the adversity and impact on livelihoods that the pandemic inevitably had on a community that relies so heavily on tourism, has been incredibly uplifting, reassuring and encouraging on what the future holds for the destination.”
Anecdotally, some Victoria Falls residents estimate that 30% to 60% of the town’s population moved to the rural areas during the worst of the pandemic. As the tourists start trickling back into town, with their accents heard around craft markets and on the Falls walk itself, Cox says many residents have already returned.
Victoria Falls is entering its low-water period, its traditional off-season, awaiting the rains while the heat builds. Usually, this would be a time of rest for fatigued industry service providers.
Cox, Kalembela, Brookstein and the whole town will be appreciative to visitors whenever they come. They’ve prepared for this moment.
The Victoria Falls Covid-19 Taskforce
set about using the resources at its disposal, ranging from finances and networks to human capital, to address critical issues like food security and
medical care