Tourism and Environment

Borders re-opening now paying off for Victoria Falls hotels

Published

4 years ago

August 6, 2021

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Hotels in Victoria Falls have started registering an uptick in bookings after the government opened the borders close to the resort city to tourists that have taken the Covid-19 vaccine.

The government recently re-opened Kazungula and Victoria Falls land borders for the first time since the beginning of the year following a Covid-19 vaccination blitz targeting the country’s prime resort city.

Although the Victoria Falls International Airport has remained open for international tourists, the closure of land borders had resulted in a huge drop in arrivals.

Anald Musonza, Hotels Association of Zimbabwe’s chairperson for the Matabeleland North chapter, said hotels had started to see an increase in reservations and inquiries.

“We have seen some improvements over the last seven days, and we are grateful as hoteliers for this decision by the government because it allows us to increase the use of our tourist products,” Musonza said.

“These inquiries that they are making give us some hope that in the end hoteliers will be able to resume and employment will be created again.

“According to our estimated figures, 50 per cent of the association workers lost their jobs, and these were our skilled and long serving people and that’s devastating.

“The other 50 percent were people, who went on unpaid leave while others are working reduced hours as low as two hours per day, instead of the normal eight.

“So our hope is that these normal shifts will be retained and even our procuring suppliers will also be able to resume so this decision is to an advantage to a chain of businesses normal.”

Musonza said the opening of land borders would give tourists the opportunity to sample tourism products at cheaper costs.

“Tourism on land makes it easier for our guests, who prefer connecting from Zambia in Livingstone to here in Victoria Falls and Botswana in Kasane and it also allows them to explore and connect the three countries in a way that’s affordable too,” he said.

There is no mandatory quarantine for tourists arriving in Zimbabwe, except for travellers arriving or transiting through India, the government said on June 29.

All other Zimbabwe land borders remain closed, except for transportation of goods and for returning residents.

Restaurants in Victoria Falls have also been re-opened for eat-in service under strict adherence to Covid-19 regulations.

Musonza said hoteliers were closely monitored by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) to ensure they adhere to World Health Organisation regulations to control the spread of Covid-19 such as maintaining social distancing, wearing a mask in public and practicing personal hygiene.

According to the ZTA, the country lost about US$ 1.6 billion worth of revenue in 2020 alone after international travel was curtailed to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Sports

Zimparks, VFWT join forces to rescue snared elephant

Published

2 weeks ago

August 5, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A dramatic rescue operation was carried out last week by the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, in collaboration with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), to save a young female elephant from a wire snare.

According to a statement posted by the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust on Facebook:

“Last week, we received an urgent call from Zimparks about a young female elephant in distress—a wire snare was tightly wrapped around her mouth and tusks.”

The elephant was spotted near Masuwe Lodge, where her herd was peacefully drinking at the waterhole. Acting swiftly, the trust’s team carefully separated the distressed elephant from her herd and darted her, allowing them to remove the snare and collect vital health samples.

Thankfully, the wire hadn’t cut deeply, and the young elephant was soon back on her feet, reunited with her family.

The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust expressed gratitude to Zimparks and Adrian Read for their dedication to protecting wildlife, saying:

“Thank you to Zimparks and Adrian Read for their dedication to protecting our wildlife.”

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Zimparks defends trophy hunting of collared lion in Hwange

Published

2 weeks ago

August 4, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe’s wildlife authority, Zimparks, has defended the killing of a collared lion, Blondie, in Hwange National Park, despite widespread outrage and criticism from conservationists.

According to BBC News, Blondie, a well-known lion studied by University of Oxford academics, was killed by trophy hunters just outside Hwange National Park in late June. The lion was wearing a collar sponsored by Africa Geographic, a safari company, to support long-term conservation efforts.

In a press statement, Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said:

“Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) confirms that a recent hunt of a collared lion in Hwange National Park was legally conducted, with the necessary approvals and having fully complied with all regulations. Contrary to ongoing speculation, there was no illegality involved in this hunt. While collared animals are marked for research purposes, this does not exempt them from being legally hunted under regulated circumstances. We urge the public to stop spreading wrong information that may cause unnecessary alarm. ZimParks remains committed to transparent wildlife management upholding the regulations in all activities.”

According to BBC News, Simon Espley, CEO of Africa Geographic, expressed his dismay and anger over the incident, saying that Blondie’s prominent collar did not prevent him from being hunted. Espley also noted that Blondie was a breeding male in his prime, contradicting claims that trophy hunters only target old, non-breeding males.

The incident has drawn comparisons to the killing of Cecil the lion in 2015, which sparked widespread outrage and calls for stricter regulations on trophy hunting.

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Renowned conservationist Alan Elliott passes away at 86

Published

2 weeks ago

August 1, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The conservation world is mourning the loss of Alan Elliott, a pioneering conservationist and tourism operator who passed away this morning around 2AM at Materdei Hospital in Bulawayo.

Elliott, affectionately known as “Mandebele,” was 86 years old.

Photo by Charlene Hewat

Elliott’s contributions to conservation and tourism in Zimbabwe are immeasurable. He was one of the first people to bring tourism to Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, and founded Touch the Wild, a tourism operation that hosted numerous celebrities, including the Queen and Prince Philip.

We then contacted Charlene Hewat, a close associate of Elliott’s Presidential Elephant Research Trust (PERT), to explain further about his conservation work. Hewat described Elliott as an extraordinary conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting elephants. “Alan’s legacy is imprinted on the wild landscapes he loved so dearly and protected so fiercely,” Hewat said in a Facebook post.

In an interview, Hewat elaborated on Elliott’s work, highlighting his efforts to protect elephants in Hwange. “He went and got a decree from President (Robert) Mugabe to protect the presidential elephants, and he received that decree, and they agreed that they would not shoot any elephants within the Dete Hwange area,” Hewat explained.

Elliott’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the conservation community, with many paying tribute to his remarkable legacy. “He’s a legend. Everybody knows him,” Hewat said. “He was an MP in Hwange, spoke fluent Ndebele, and knew a lot of the ministers. He’s just an amazing man, a legend for Zimbabwe.”

As a testament to his enduring legacy, Elliott had asked Hewat to carry on his work with the Presidential Elephant Research Trust. “It was his vision to promote young Zimbabwean researchers, and that’s something that I share and think we can take forward for the country and for the youth,” Hewat said.