News / Regional
Zanu-PF militia warned to stop intimidating tour operators in Matland
28 Aug 2012 at 06:26hrs | Views
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke on Friday warned a splinter group of Upfumi Kuvadiki led by Alson Darikayi to stop intimidating tour operators in Matabeleland North province as they risked arrest.
Kaseke was reacting to the group's action last week when it sent a circular to tour operators in Victoria Falls "ordering" them to declare their community share ownership schemes and to increase workers' salaries.
The action was viewed as a threat to preparations for the United Nation World Tourism Authority (UNWTO) general assembly set for Victoria Falls in August next year.
In an interview on the sidelines of the UNWTO countdown ceremony in Victoria Falls on Thursday night, Kaseke had no kind words for the Zanu-PF-aligned youth economic empowerment group.
"We can't be a lawless country," he said. "We can't condone that lawlessness. I called them to my office and told them to stop that forthwith. We don't want chaos in the tourism industry. The law doesn't empower them to do so. Where is their locus standi?
"They have no legal basis at all. If they continue doing that we will have them arrested. We can't afford to disturb such a performing sector considering where we are coming from."
Kaseke said the tourism sector was already heavily indigenised.
"On the other hand indigenisation is a process," he said. "It is a shareholder's agreement. You can't just force yourself on somebody's property. Some are family businesses that cannot be indigenised.
"Remember we once chased away another lawless group which had invaded Imba Shiri lodge in Harare. That is our stance."
Darikayi is on record as saying his organisation was invited by workers in the tourism sector to air their grievances to their employers as their union leaders had failed them.
He has also said it is his organisation's duty to see that there is pressure to indigenise the sector which he said was largely dominated by whites.
Kaseke was reacting to the group's action last week when it sent a circular to tour operators in Victoria Falls "ordering" them to declare their community share ownership schemes and to increase workers' salaries.
The action was viewed as a threat to preparations for the United Nation World Tourism Authority (UNWTO) general assembly set for Victoria Falls in August next year.
In an interview on the sidelines of the UNWTO countdown ceremony in Victoria Falls on Thursday night, Kaseke had no kind words for the Zanu-PF-aligned youth economic empowerment group.
"We can't be a lawless country," he said. "We can't condone that lawlessness. I called them to my office and told them to stop that forthwith. We don't want chaos in the tourism industry. The law doesn't empower them to do so. Where is their locus standi?
Kaseke said the tourism sector was already heavily indigenised.
"On the other hand indigenisation is a process," he said. "It is a shareholder's agreement. You can't just force yourself on somebody's property. Some are family businesses that cannot be indigenised.
"Remember we once chased away another lawless group which had invaded Imba Shiri lodge in Harare. That is our stance."
Darikayi is on record as saying his organisation was invited by workers in the tourism sector to air their grievances to their employers as their union leaders had failed them.
He has also said it is his organisation's duty to see that there is pressure to indigenise the sector which he said was largely dominated by whites.
Source - newsday
