MINISTER OUT OF CONTROL SAY HOSPITALITY SOURCES AS SECOND HOTEL ORDERED SHUT
Sources from Dar es Salaam have on condition of strict anonymity for fear of the almost inevitable vengeful repercussions sent information, that a second hotel at the ocean front, the Giraffe Oceanview Hotel, has been given closure orders yesterday too.
Dr. Terezya Huvisa was by other hospitality sources described as ‘drunk with power and out of control’, said by hoteliers who are equally threatened with similar action. Several individuals in periodic contact with this correspondent were describing her as ‘misguided, unable to look beyond herself and unwilling to discuss acceptable and feasible time frames to sort out the affluent discharge while Dar es Salaam city council sleeps’.
The Giraffe Ocean View is the second hotel facing closure after the Double Tree by Hilton was told to shut shop, although at least two sources from Dar es Salaam confirmed yesterday evening that the hotel was still open and doing business. ‘Ministers think they can just mouth off and give directives like in the old days. They have to serve papers, properly drawn up and quoting the respective violations and if all prior written notices have been ignored, and even then a hotel can challenge in court. One can get an injunction showing what damage to the business such a no brain order would cause. What our problem is in Dar is the city council. They fail to connect us or collect affluent and it is them who should be closed down. We are victims of these circumstances. Treatment plants cost a fortune, we need tax and duty relief, accelerated depreciation and tax and duty free import of the materials needed to run such a plant. Government only makes demands, they must learn to contribute to solutions.’
The 98 room and suite Giraffe Oceanview Hotel is thought to be the second hotel targeted but more hotels and resorts are on a secretive hidden list of properties the minister reportedly has issues with and some have already vowed that should they too be told to close they’d go straight to court for injunctions while continuing to operate in defiance of verbal instructions or even served documents.
‘This calls for dialogue between representatives of the hotel sector, government, city council and lawyers to find a solution, not unilateral action just ahead of the busy holiday season. The entire fashion how this is done suggests ill will and ulterior motives and the minister should be given orders to lay low for a while until a workable solution has been developed. It is also not fair to blame us as anti environment. We need a good clean environment but mitigation takes time and money. Why would we spoil the beaches on which our hotels are built’ said another source.
Tough times it seems, on this front and as recently reported here vis a vis harassment too of foreign investors in tourism, where seemingly the greed of officials has ended up properties in trouble by using allegedly political connections to browbeat owners into paying officials off or else be bombarded with red tape and fake investigations. Watch this space as this latest Tanzanian saga evolves.
