HARARE- The resort town of Victoria Falls continues to grow after it was on Wednesday proclaimed a city by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at a colourful ceremony.
The city, which recently opened its doors to the country’s second stock exchange, Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX) became the first municipality to be upgraded by the Mnangagwa administration and the first city in Matabeleland North.
The other cities in Matabeleland are Bulawayo and Gwanda. It will largely become the tourism and conference capital of Zimbabwe.
“After spending 10 years in prison for fighting in support of independence, the Victoria Falls bridge was where I took my first steps as a free man. Almost 45 years later, I now have the great honour to declare Victoria Falls as an official city of Zimbabwe,” Mnangagwa told delegates to the occasion.
Government plans to build a multi-purpose convention centre with top-notch facilities such as five-star hotels, a medical centre, a university, a Zimbabwe Defence Forces camp and sporting facilities.
There are plans through the development plan, to improve infrastructure in the town to match world tourism destination standards. The 2012 census says Victoria Falls has 33 000 people.
