Staff Reporter
MATABELELAND South Minister Of State For Provincial Affairs and Devolution Albert Nguluvhe has said he is dissappointed by Tichaona Sithole he assisted securing the former Beitbridge Rainbow Hotel after he lied to him he was establishing a university college.
Sithole has since been evicted from the hotel premises he owed rentals to the tune of US$ 157 855.96 in rent arrears and ZIG2 520 239 in service charges.
“He came to me, I gave him my recommendation. I realise he misled me into beleving he would establish a university. I was happy a university was now coming to Beitbridge. Yet he did not tell me the truth,” said Nguluvhe.
He made the remarks last Saturday at a luncheon he organised to interact with leaders of different churches in Beitbridge.
He said the purposenof the meeting was to hear their challenges while in turn he wanted their divine assistance for peace in the province and Zimbabwe at large.
He also asked them to pray for the rains and against drugs and substance abuse rocking Zimbabwe.
During the meeting feedback a delegate asked why the large former Rainbow Hotel was not converted into a tertiary college to absorb youths who end up in drugs.
Sithole, of Kingdom Lifestyle property developers, who has since had his contract with Beitbridge Municipality terminated, was nooted out of the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) after owners of the building made a successful High Court application.
High Court of Harare Case Number HCH 5141/25 cites his Kemet University and himself as first and socond respondents evicted from the NSSA building that houses the now defunct Rainbow Hotel at Beitbridge.
The Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) on June 1 2016 shut down the Beitbridge hotel after two years in operation after posting successive losses amounting to $2 million.
The closure of the hotel followed a similar exit from the border town by hotel group, African Sun which shut down its Beitbridge Express Hotel after two decades over profitability concerns.RTG said forecasts showed the hotel would continue to make losses.
Both structures have been white elephants eve since although the former Rainbow was at one time used as a reception centre during the Covid 19 lockdown.