VICTORIA FALLS — China has pledged to donate 90 700 tonnes of rice and construct 150 boreholes to help reduce effects of the El Nino-induced drought ravaging most parts of the country.
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Speaking during the commissioning of the refurbished Victoria Falls International airport yesterday, Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Huang Ping said his country was committed to helping end food shortages and revamping the agricultural sector.
He said 5 500 tonnes of rice have already arrived in the country with the rest of the pledged donations expected in the country before year-end.
“China will also donate 10 000 bags of fertiliser and it will arrive very soon and in addition it will also drill 150 boreholes,” Ping said.
President Robert Mugabe urged stakeholders to partner government to improve sanitation at the airport to ensure that it meets global standards thereby ushering it to the new era of a tourism boom.
“This not just a facility for government, but for you in this region as it is in your hands, so in the first place it is yours, take care of it. Relevant ministries must incorporate and help to ensure that the airport is kept up to the mark and incompletion with other airports across the globe,” Mugabe said.
Chief Lukas Mtshane Khumalo of Matabeleland North urged the Transport ministry to rehabilitate roads to improve access to the province.
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“We welcome this development in the region as it will boost our local tourism. But, we ask the Ministry of Transport to go further to make sure that even the roads are rehabilitated, for instance from Kariba to Victoria falls. They share the same belt of the river because not all tourists can afford to fly while some prefer to use roads from one attraction to the other,” the traditional leader said.
The airport, now has the capability to handle 1,5 million passengers per annum, tripling its previous volume. The facility was also capable of landing some of the world’s largest aircrafts. The project was funded through a China-Exim Bank loan facility with China Jiangsu International Group being the lead contractor.
The airport features a 4km runway, a state of the art control tower, which is one of the advanced in Africa, and a fire station equipped to respond to fire and medical emergencies.
Facilities at the international terminal include 14 check-in counters, nine boarding gates, three baggage carousels, a dozen shops, two restaurants, 28 aircraft parking bays and parking facilities for 400 vehicles among other unique facilities.
