Victoria Falls: One of the world’s true wonders
The Scottish explorer, David Livingstone, is believed to have been the first white man to view this magnificent curtain of falling water and he named it in honor of Queen Victoria, the British monarch reigning at the time.
Victoria Falls
Photo: Irving Spitz
The falls are formed as the Zambezi River plummets in a vertical drop into a chasm carved by its waters in the basalt plateau.
The total width of the Victoria Falls is more than one and a half kilometers and the height is over 100 meters. It is twice as high and almost twice as wide as North America’s Niagara Falls. It is no surprise that Victoria Falls makes the list of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
To witness the sight of millions of gallons of turbulent water cascading over a sheer precipice into a narrow gorge is an unforgettable experience. Between February and May, whenthe falls are at their most spectacular, more than 500,000 cubic meters of water a minute flow over the edge.
The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 meters and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 50 km. away. For this reason, the local inhabitants refer tothe falls as ” Mosi-oa-Tunya,” or “the smoke that thunders.”
During the day, at a close vantage point, the spray creates a brilliant rainbow effect. At sunrise when viewed from a small distance away, the spray produces dazzling color effects. During the flood season it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face. At this time, the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist.
The Zambezi River forms the boundary between Zimbabwe in the south and Zambia in the north. The falls can be seen from both countries, but it is generally acknowledged that the view is more impressive from the Zimbabwean side. A trip down the river reveals abundant wild life including hippos and crocodiles.
European settlement of the Victoria Falls area started around 1900. The driving force was Cecil John Rhodes. Born in England in 1853, he migrated to southern Africa at an early age. He became a diamond prospector, formed the De Beers Mining Company and ultimately became prime minister of the Cape Colony.
His dream was a railway extending through the African continent from the Cape to Cairo. The railway eventually reached the Zambezi River in 1904. Rhodes planned the bridge across the river and insisted it be built where the spray fromthe falls would fall on passing trains. The bridge was constructed in England and the different parts were sent by ship and rail and erected piecemeal from both sides of the river. Today this bridge still carries traffic across the river and is a site for bungee jumping into the narrow gorge.
The legendary and gracious colonial-style Victoria Falls Hotel is situated in a unique setting overlooking the Victoria Falls. From the immaculate and lush tropical gardens, and terraces of the hotel, there is a sweeping vista of the bridge and the spray from the falls.
Construction began in 1904 and it was originally envisioned as a temporary wooden structure with a corrugated iron roof to house workers building the bridge. With the increase in tourists, it was decided to erect a permanent building. Today, the hotel retains its gracious old world charm and ambience.
This is evident in all public areas, including lounges, bars, dining room and library. All furnishings are in harmony of the time of the original building. The different sections ofthe hotel are connected by wide corridors with lofty ceilings.
Each corridor houses a unique photographic collection displaying the illustrious history of the hotel and documenting the famous personages who stayed there. One of the great highlights was the visit of the British royal family in 1947.
From the gardens of the hotel, a short walk takes you to the falls. Because of the wildlife, visitors are accompanied by a ranger. On the way back, I was accosted by three elephants. I whipped out my camera and started to photograph. A bellow and stamping of feet from one of these pachyderms sent me sprinting away with great alacrity.
The name Zimbabwe is derived from the local language and means “great houses of stone.”
This stone type of building was characteristic of an independent African state which reached its zenith between the 13th and 14th centuries. Originally this country was part of the British Empire and was known as Southern Rhodesia (in honor of Cecil Rhodes). It became a self-governing British colony in 1923 and achieved independence after a long war and much bloodshed in 1980. Since independence it has been governed by Robert Mugabe.
Tragically for the inhabitants, there is gross corruption, economic mismanagement and human rights abuse. Despite having large mineral reserves including diamonds and platinum, Zimbabwe has one of the lowest life expectancy rates and highest rates of inflation in the world. Up till recently, banknotes of up to $100 trillion were in circulation. In view of this, the recently elected prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has allowed transactions to be conducted with US dollars or South African rand.
The visitor is thus faced with a surreal situation. Inside the confines of the Victoria Falls Hotel, there is opulence and wealth, outside abject poverty. The few shops have empty shelves and lack all but minimum basic provisions. The unfortunate locals beg for toiletries from the bathrooms ofthe hotel , any old used clothing, indeed anything. Despite their miserable situation, the people are friendly, peaceful and appear resigned to their dismal fate. The sad look on their faces still haunts me today.
The writer, emeritus professor of medicine, is an avid traveler and photographer. He frequently writes, reviews and lectures on medical topics, music, art, history and travel. Additional pictures from this as well as other trips can be seen on http://www.pbase.com/irvspitz
Source: Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1261364509465&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)
Zambia-Zimbabwe border post to save $486m a year
CHIRUNDU (Reuters) – Zambia and Zimbabwe’s new one-stop border post will help to facilitate trade between the two countries and save about $486 million a year in logistical costs, a senior official at the agency in charge of the project said.
Trucks using the Chirundu post, about 136 km south of Lusaka, will take two hours to clear the post instead of the two to five days it used to take, Juma Mwapachu, secretary general of the Eastern African Commission, said late on Saturday, when the border post was opened.
The East African Commission, a part of the intergovernmental East African Community, managed the project to build the border crossing.
“The one-stop border post will lead to logistical efficiency and about $486 million will be saved annually in costs that would have been incurred due to prolonged delays at the border,” Mwapachu said.
“The transit time will become more predictable and this will enhance the trade competitiveness for the two countries.”
A World Bank study showed that the major contributor to the high cost of transport was lack of facilitation, such as the improvement of border clearance procedures, Mwapachu said.
Zambian President Rupiah Banda, who was at the opening ceremony for the crossing said the one-stop border post would promote the smooth and efficient flow of goods, resulting in increased inter-regional trade.
“If we facilitate trade and reduce the cost of doing business as well as improve the flow of foreign direct investment, the result will be increased growth and prosperity in our region,” Banda said.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told the launch ceremony that border post was a practical demonstration of regional integration and asked for investment in the congested border crossing between South and Zimbabwe.
“We are appealing for development and cooperation partners to join us in the development of Beitbridge into a one-stop border post to complement the efficiencies at Chirundu,” Mugabe said.
A report by the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa in November showed service costs were high in sub-Saharan Africa due to poor roads, water and power networks and the region needed to double its infrastructure spending to $93 billion a year to improve it.
Source: Reuters Africa (http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE5B505220091206)
Can Zimbabwe re-attract tourists?
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe has recently been flooded with glowing reports in the state media of a dramatic recovery in tourism. But those bulletins may be premature.
Tourist numbers have risen from 100,000 last year to 362,000 this year, according to industry reports, and many hotels have reported an increase in occupancy rates. But the hotel numbers do not take account of whole floors of leading hotels being blocked off.
Hotel swimming pools, once surrounded by flight crews seeking a tan in Zimbabwe’s perennial sunshine, are deserted. And while the number of visitors has undoubtedly increased, many are Chinese tourists who do not spend money or visitors from other African states who stay with relatives.
There has been a concerted campaign to bring in travelers from China where Air Zimbabwe now operates routes. But Chinese tourists move around in supervised gangs — called duck tours — and keep their hands in their pockets when visiting curio stalls.
“It’s a disaster,” said travel writer Dusty Miller of Zimbabwe’s “Look East” policy. “They are not big spenders and cannot substitute for tourists from our traditional markets in Europe and North America.”
In particular Miller laments the loss of the “golden triangle” — the London/Mauritius/ Australia route which delivered thousands of visitors including carefree backpackers into the Zimbabwean market.
Zimbabwe’s world-class facilities and attractions, particularly its game parks and Victoria Falls, saw a dramatic growth of the tourism industry in the 1980s and 90s when new players entered the scene. By 1999 Zimbabwe was expecting to attract 1 million tourists. But once Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis hit, and the country was viewed as volatile, tourist numbers plummeted.
President Robert Mugabe’s penchant for making angry anti-Western rhetoric is a major obstacle to a recovery in tourism. While Western countries have lifted their travel warnings on Zimbabwe, the impression of a nation ruled by a hostile dictator has not changed. An Economic Empowerment Act which requires investors to surrender a 51 percent holding to locals in any project is another deterrent.
The power-sharing government between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is a distinctly uneasy alliance. While the Tsvangirai side is working to put Zimbabwe on a better footing, for tourism and everything else, the Mugabe half of the government carries on as it has for nearly 30 years. These mixed signals do not reassure potential tourists.
Tourism may be finding its feet after 10 years of recession and turmoil but it is not all plain sailing. The sector is governed by a state body, the Zimbabwe Tourism Association (ZTA), which draws its funding from levies on the private-sector. The ZTA puts out a stream of sunshine stories about the need to “change perceptions” of Zimbabwe which ignore developments on the ground such as the continuing violent farm seizures.
There is, however, one notable success story to emerge from the tourism sector. It comes from the African Sun group which is headed by the flamboyant Shingi Munyeza, a self-made businessman.
His group has expanded into West Africa and oil-rich Equatorial Guinea where its hotel rooms are much in demand. He believes it is necessary to take risks or be left behind.
“The opportunities for business in Zimbabwe are immense,” Munyeza told the AP recently. “The question is: Do you get in now or later? Later is very costly. Early is very risky.”
But as every operator in the private sector will testify, Zimbabwe’s future success lies in political stability. Mugabe is currently obstructing economic recovery by reckless policy measures — such as threatening to reintroduce the discredited Zimbabwe dollar before Christmas — while the world watches in trepidation. The U.S. dollar has over the past year reduced Zimbabwe’s million percent inflation to manageable levels and has provided a steady anchor to a troubled economy.
British ambassador Mark Canning noted last week that while there had been some improvement on the economic front, investors were still concerned with the ongoing farm seizures, lack of security of tenure, and a sound legal framework to protect investments.
Britain is Zimbabwe’s biggest investor.
“Once the provisions of the global political agreement (between Zanu-PF and the MDC) are fulfilled,” Canning said, “I am certain significant investment will be made in Zimbabwe and British companies are ready to move in, in a big way. But for now everything is being watched closely.”
A further problem on the country’s path to recovery of its tourism is the decimation of its wildlife. In particular the numbers of rare rhinoceros have dropped precipitously. Rhinos were moved to the southern parts of the country 10 years ago to remove them from the reach of Zambian poachers. They have now come under siege, not from hungry poachers, but from new land occupiers and army officers in the southern conservancies.
More problems come from the hemorrhaging state companies like Air Zimbabwe and National Railways which Mugabe won’t let go of for what he claims are “strategic” reasons. He means sheltered employment for his followers. But those key companies operate very inefficiently and run up huge state debts.
Zimbabwe’s most marketable products — its reliably sunny weather and its friendly, well-educated people — may compensate for some of these shortcomings and encourage first-time, but more political and economic stability are needed to get the country’s tourism back to healthy levels.
Source: Global Post (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/zimbabwe/091124/zimbabwe-tourism)
Zimbabwe Travel 