Residents of Matabeleland South capital Gwanda have applauded the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority for closing down a hotel cum brothel operated as a partnership by the Member of Parliament for Gwanda North constituency Ndodana Sibanda and his siblings as a family business.
The hide-out operating as Pumula Hotel was closed down by the tourism authority last week following complaints from the residents of the town after the hotel with two branches in the town had become home to scores of prostitutes. According to residents the prostitutes were operating their immoral business in broad day light posing semi naked in the area around the two hotel sites at the busy Jawunda high density business centre.
“This is a very welcome move by the responsible authorities as the situation at the hotels was getting out of hand,” said a resident Dorcas Ndlovu. “These women had resorted to pry on men in broad day light without regard to age or social status right in front of the society’s eyes.”
Another similar lodge, Tusanang Lodge also operated by Gwanda South based ZANU PF provincial executive member Martin Mawuva was also shut down by the authority for not meeting the standards expected by the ZTA. The lodge also housed several prostitutes who targeted mostly long distance truck drivers who park their trucks overnight along the Johannesburg highway near by.
Gwanda is expected to host a very high profile music concert at the end of August which will feature at least five music artist from neighbouring South Africa and tourism authorities are under going a clean up programme to make sure that all tourism standards are met by service providers. Residents have also in the meantime asked authorities to check the standards of two night clubs Iocated in the town’s CBD which are said to be operating from dilapidated buildings and running for nearly 24 hours becoming a home for prostitution and other crimes.
A section of the residents complained that the closure of the brothels had very little impact on eradicating the immoral women as they were quickly absorbed into the community by land lords who took them into their homes and gave them lodging. Some media reports claim that some of the evicted ladies were seen carrying their belongings and finding their way to Beitbridge and Bulawayo to continue their trade.
According to national statistics, Gwanda town ranks very high in terms of HIV/AIDS infections and the business of sex workers in town is reportedly booming due to the availability of the small scale informal gold miners in the area.