‘Township tourism a half-baked cake’

THE recent launch of the Township Tourism programme was a hurried event, which took place without adequate consultation with some owners of the targeted facilities, The Standard has established. BY JENNIFER DUBE

The government last month launched the programme targeting 13 houses that once belonged to nationalists such as President Robert Mugabe, the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, Enos Nkala and George Nyandoro.

Most of the houses, which will be marketed under the township tourism concept, are located in Harares populous suburb of Highfield.

It has emerged that some of the houses are now owned by other people, not even related to the nationalists.

But the government has said it intends to upgrade the former nationalists residencies to national museums under the programme.

Some of the owners of the houses said the organising team only contacted them a few days before the launch of the programme, requesting to pitch up gazebos in front of their houses.

They were only told tourists would be visiting the houses.

Others complained that they felt used after they were not given things they were promised by the organising team.

We feel cheap after that exercise, a daughter of one of the late nationalists said.

They said they wanted to empower families of nationalists and the ordinary person in Highfield, but it has now become clear they were just doing the whole thing for themselves. They could not even come back to say thank you or to give us the T-shirts they promised us. But Nyandoros son, Micheal, was cautious.

The rest is here:
‘Township tourism a half-baked cake’