Mgcini Dlamini
VICTORIA Falls residents are over the moon following the conferment of city status by the government, saying they look forward to good times.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa awarded Victoria Falls town a city status on Wednesday this week.
In reaction to the development, Kelvin Moyo, Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association (Vifacora) chairman said the development would bring economic growth to the city.
Said Moyo: “I think the first thing is that the conferment of city status is a welcome idea. We are happy. We are also happy with benefits that come with it.
Job opportunities! We should benefit as local residents and one key factor is that now that we are city there would a lot of business interests in lot of sectors. We are looking at investments other than in tourism.”
The Vifacora boss further said the residents are happy as the city status has given them Zambezi water rights.
“The president has given the city council the water rights from Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and this is what we have always wanted,” said Moyo.
“The cost of water in Victoria Falls was high but now, things will change. The residents will be relieved from paying high water bills and it was sad that Zambezi was a stone throw away, but we were paying high costs of water,” he added.
The Vifacora boss went on to say the city status will improve the education standards in Victoria Falls.
Almost everything will improve, we talk of education sector, tertiary Education. We talk of more colleges so that our kids can have better education,” he said.
Victoria Falls, is the first town in the largely underdeveloped Matabeleland North province to be awarded a city status.
Matabeleland North is mostly country side and it has immense natural resources.
