Mnangagwa offers Trump land in Vic Falls park to build golf course

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has disclosed that he has dangled an offer of land in the picturesque Victoria Falls wildlife national park to United States President Donald Trump to build a golf course.

Mnangagwa, who is in the US for the annual United Nations’ General Assembly gathering, revealed the offer at a Zimbabwe investors’ forum held in New York, yesterday where he encouraged the American business community to support Zimbabwe’s rebirth in areas such as agriculture, mining, infrastructural development, and tourism.

Zimbabwe and the US have had frosty relations since the early 2000s when the latter slapped sanctions on the African nation.

The US renewed the sanctions soon after the July 30th elections this year, saying that Zimbabwe had “no culture of democracy.”

But Mnangagwa said his country wanted a new era of relations with the US and to pursue economic cooperation between the two countries.

He revealed he had wanted to meet Trump at Davos, but had to leave before the US president arrived.

Instead, he met delegates and told them: “If President Trump wishes, I will offer him ground at Victoria Falls in the National Park,” he told the delegates.

Amid cheers, he added: “I offered President Trump ground to build a state-of-the-art golf course so that as he plays he can be able to see the Big Five.”

Mnangagwa said his government was keen for investments in the form of joint ventures or in infrastructure based on the build, operate, and transfer model.

He told the conference his government was reforming the public sector to eliminate bureaucratic red tape, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and enhance efficiency and responsiveness.

“We are resolved to make Zimbabwe an attractive and a safe investment destination where capital feels safe. In addition, I have committed that my administration will ensure policy clarity, consistency, transparency and predictability,” he said.

“The government is working on the ease of doing business and wants to reduce the approval process from around six months currently to a week or less.

“This will also reduce cases of corruption where investors pay bribes to speed up the granting of licenses.

“This would include the setting up of a one-stop center that will facilitate all clearances under one roof instead of sending investors from one ministry to the other.”

Mnangagwa added his government would ensure a protection of investments.

As part of its economic reform measures, the protection of private property would be guaranteed. Equally, all foreign investments would be safe and foreign investors would be free to repatriate their proceeds.

He encouraged Zimbabweans who had left to invest in their country.

Source: YouTube

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