Nssa finally puts Beitbridge Hotel to good use
FOR many years Beitbridge Town’s physical infrastructure was poor. However, things started improving in 2006 when the Government through the National Economic Development Priority Programme started implementing the Beitbridge Redevelopment Programme.
The Government has spent millions in facelifting the port into a modern urban centre which came in with a number of projects some of whom are complete while others are at various stages of completion.
Some major projects under the initiative include the construction of 16 blocks of flats to house 64 families mainly middle class civil servants, 250 core houses (for home ownership), 52 F14 houses for civil servants, road dualisation, upgrading water supply and sewer infrastructure in the town.
Other institutional facilities are building of a hospital, primary school, secondary school, civic centre, government composite office block, modern truck-inn, shopping complex, a 5 star hotel, an aerodrome and the upgrading of the current border post to meet world class standards. It is understood that the Government needs a further US$10 732 200 to complete the outstanding civil works.
One of the major highlights of the Beitbridge Redevelopment Project was the opening of a 140-room hotel previously operated by the Rainbow Tourism Group. To many people it raised hopes of uplifting the town’s accommodation facilities. The US$39 million building’s construction was funded by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA).
The Rainbow Tourism Group operated the hotel for some years but in 2016 it closed it along with the Beitbridge Express Hotel after they made huge losses in successive years. It is understood that the occupancy rates had fallen to around 20 percent. Many investors tried a number of projects at the NSSA Hotel, but all the initiatives remained pipe dreams.
However, 2020 has been a turning point of sorts for the hotel when the NSSA board decided to put it to some good use by offering it to Government as a quarantine centre for Zimbabwean returnees coming in from South Africa. Yes, the facility was built to run as a hotel in the strictest sense of the word but that having failed, residents are now seeing some plausible use of it.
According to Beitbridge District Civil Protection Unit chairperson, Mrs Sikhangezile Mafu-Moyo the quarantine centre can accommodate 150 people mainly from Matabeleland South, undergoing mandatory quarantining.
“We have also handled over 4 000 whom we have transferred to provincial quarantine centres nearer to their homes,” she said.
The place also houses an isolation centre to carry at least 70 people, a Covid-19 clinic and Government coordination offices.
Post-Covid-19, some stakeholders in the town want the parastatal to consider turning the hotel into a college to address the shortage of institutions of higher learning the district.
Besides having 140 rooms, the institution has three conference rooms, a casino, banking halls, Nssa offices, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority offices, a gymnasium, huge swimming pool and several offices among other things.
Beitbridge town clerk, Mr Loud Ramakgapola said the local authority had written to NSSA to raise concerns over the idleness of the facility.
“Our view is that the place can be used as a satellite for any local universities or technical college, a tourism or nursing school and even a multipurpose shopping centre,” he said.
Beitbridge East legislator, Albert Nguluvhe said the district was without any vocational training centre or tertiary education institution hence NSSA should seriously look at turning the facility into an education institution.
“Our hope is that the facility be turned into a campus for Gwanda State University or a vocational training centre,” he said.
A residents representative, Ms Patricia Ndlovu said: “We want our children to go to school and learn and this facility will create opportunities for local children who have to travel to other provinces to access higher learning facilities.
“It is expensive to send your child to other places where you need a budget for tuition fees, food and rentals. In addition having a college will be a boost for our town which has been rapidly growing in the last 15 years”.
Ms Ndlovu said creating a local college at the NSSA facility will come along with employment creation and business opportunities for those into food and catering and improve the town’s human capital base.
Beitbridge Paramount Chief Vho Tshitaudze (David Mbedzi) said having a tertiary institution in the area will be a relief to locals who have to endure sending their children to South Africa or other provinces for higher learning.
He said the poor transition from secondary education to tertiary level in the area was a great cause for concern.
“As a community leader I appeal to NSSA to seriously consider our situation. Having their hotel which is already in good condition as a college will be a motivating factor to most children around here.
“Sending your child to another town for tertiary education is very expensive considering the current economic climate and hence we long to have higher education learning facilities at our door steps,” said the traditional leader. — @tupeyo