THE Beitbridge Municipality is inviting investors to develop the Limpopo Riverfront and exploit the scenic and uniqueness of the town's location along the banks of the mghty Limpopo River.
Beitbridge town's area occupies approximately 40 of the 1750 kilometres long river that meanders between Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Town clerk, Loud Ramakgapola, said the transit town can pivot the sleeping rare tourism product mixing agriculture, historic attractions, vast wildlife distributions, diverse cultures and a resurgent beef industry.
"We are saying we have a river other towns do not have,”Ramakgapola said.
“We have to show the difference and work outside the box to transform the town into a holiday resort.
“We are in a unique space and the possibility is here for us to pick up.”
He said land has been set aside and budgeted for development along the Limpopo River
“Our local development plan has reserved the river frontage as land for recreational activities,” Ramakgapola said.
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“We have already allocated some pieces of land for such but a lot more is available.”
Beitbridge town, home to the only official border between South Africa and Zimbabwe, sits on a section of the 280km-stretch of the river traditionally called Vhembe.
Recent developments in the small town, including the US$300 million upgrade of the border post by Zimborders Consortium has seen people coming to visit the border, whose finishing with granite stones reminiscent of the Great Zimbabwe Monuments, have simply made the border a tourist attraction.
The old Alfred BeitBridge 472 metre-long steel girder bridge is also a historic site placed alongside the wider New Limpopo Bridge (NLB).
Beitbridge was built in 1929 at a cost of $600,000 and financed jointly between the Beit Railways Trust and the South African Railways.
Yet, the picturesqueness of the mighty Limpopo is unmatched as an attraction.
Just under the two bridges, a large pool forming from a weir stretches more than three kilometres, creating a boating and water games zone.
That is besides the existence of hundreds of crocodiles and an occasional sight of hippos in natural habitat.
From the confluence of that river with the Mzingwane, the river runs on granite formations whose split at the Dulibadzimu Gorge explain nature's greatness.
"You are aware that the Musina Municipality, our twin, and ourselves have in place a deal to create a cultural village near the Dulivhadzimu Pool," Ramakgapola said.
“That joint venture is only waiting to go on the ground but paperwork is done.”
Town planning expert and lecturer at one of Zimbabwe's universities, Nicholas Muleya, said several advantages exist for riverfront development at Beitbridge.
"It’s largely the unique human multisensory experiences that exist like panoramic views, natural sounds and views, the microclimate (temperature, breezes, humidity) etc,”Muleya said.
A security expert said the proposed riverfront project would create safety for many people harmed by criminals taking shelter in the banks and the bridges on the river.
"Some criminals have turned the river into their homes," said the expert who asked for anonymity.
Across the globe, riverfront development has positively transformed the economic statuses of towns where they exist.
India's rapid economic growth and social development are intricately linked to its ambitious infrastructure projects on riverfront development.
