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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls City Council (VFCC) needs about US$3 million to craft a masterplan for the city and has partnered with the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (Zida) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) who have partly financed the initiative.

Zida is an investment agency responsible for promoting and facilitation of both local and foreign investment in the country while IFC is an international financial institution under the World Bank, and offers investment, advisory and asset management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries.

The local authority became a city in 2019 and is still using the 1975 Regional Town and Country Planning Act.

This has raised concern among stakeholders who have implored the council to speed up the process of coming up with a masterplan to guide land use.

Victoria Falls is a strategic tourism destination whose operations have a huge bearing towards the attainment of the Government’s US$5 billion tourism economy target by 2025, and Vision 2030 of achieving an upper middle-income society.

However, speaking at a stakeholders meeting that was held on Wednesday to introduce a Destination Management and Air Access committee set up to spearhead revival of tourism in the resort city, tour operators and hoteliers said absence of a masterplan was resulting in mushrooming of facilities on buffer zones which disturbs the pristine nature of the World’s Seventh Wonder.

Some said expansion plans are also retarded as investors are not sure of where to build.

Speaking at the same meeting, VFCC economic development and marketing officer Mr Ngqabutho Moyo told the stakeholders that the council needs about US$3 million for the masterplan.

“The masterplan that the local authority intends to come up with covers a radius of about 25km with a number of stakeholders in it. For that masterplan to come into fruition it means all those stakeholders have to collaborate and contribute towards its finalisation.

“Council realised that the sphere of influence and stakeholders that are going to be involved in the combined masterplan are the same therefore with Zida and IFC they sort of came to an understanding that since the local authority doesn’t have resources to raise about US$3 million dedicated to the masterplan, it would be ideal that the Masue initiative takes off so that data that will be collected will be used in the combined masterplan,” he said.

VFCC expansion plan extends to Masue state land that was designated for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and falls under Hwange Rural District Council.

Work is underway to operationalise Masue City concept through the Integrated Development Programme/Conceptual Development Framework which incorporates the city, for the Victoria Falls-Hwange-Binga SEZ whose idea is to integrate economic activities, catapult growth and improve livelihoods in the province.

Government plans to build Masue and Batoka satellite towns as part of the Victoria Falls Development Plan corridor comprising Masue Stateland, Batoka, Mlibizi, Binga Centre, Sijalila, Hwange Hinterland and Gwayi-Shangani resort.

Zida special projects director Ms Silibaziso Chizwina told the meeting that some investors had shown interest in investing in the Masue State land and Zida is waiting for the finalisation of the master plan which it is collaborating on with the local authority.

In a follow up interview, VFCC Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube said the local authority had set aside US$105 million for the project and had advertised for prospective consultants.

He said the master plan will take 18 months to come up with from the day actual work will start.

“We are in the process of coming up with a master plan and we are working in partnership with Zida with assistance from IFC. We are at the stage of procuring a consultant,” said Mr Dube.

He said the master plan will determine land use.

He implored stakeholders to understand that a master plan is a statutory document whose development follows legal procedure constituting advertising in the Press and waiting for specified periods before the next step can be undertaken, hence it is a process.

“While we admit that it’s not easy to operate without a masterplan, we need to understand that it’s a process. We have been using the Regional Town and Country Planning Act and it’s still useful but the masterplan will address concerns coming from stakeholders.

Mr Dube said the masterplan has to be in sync with the local authority’s vision for a green city.

Unesco has also recommended an integrated masterplan for Victoria Falls and Livingstone in Zambia as they share the natural heritage, and Mr Dube said the council is considering the matter but will escalate it to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works since it is a bi-lateral issue.

— @ncubeleon