That iconic highway hotel is just a crime-ridden shell now. The Jesse Halfway Hotel, a former landmark on the Beitbridge-Bulawayo Highway in West Nicholson, Gwanda, sits abandoned and decaying. What was once an 88-room luxury stop for coaches and motorists is now a hollow structure with broken windows, occupied by squatters and illegal gold panners. Residents like Ronnie Sibanda and Thomas Khumalo remember its welcoming presence along the road, a crucial rest point on the long stretch between Gwanda and Beitbridge.
The collapse erased a major economic hub. Locals describe a past filled with luxury buses, overnight guests, and even game viewing. Now, they report high crime, illicit activities, and a lack of basic services like electricity or water. Squatters have resisted eviction attempts, with police efforts failing to clear the building permanently. Sibongile Ncube notes the area's descent into chaos, linking it to the hotel's ruin. Gwanda Rural District Council CEO Ranganai Sibanda sees potential revival as a strategic boon for district revenue, aligning with national development goals. The human cost remains severe, with anonymous sources mentioning teenage prostitution and violence plaguing the area.
The collapse erased a major economic hub. Locals describe a past filled with luxury buses, overnight guests, and even game viewing. Now, they report high crime, illicit activities, and a lack of basic services like electricity or water. Squatters have resisted eviction attempts, with police efforts failing to clear the building permanently. Sibongile Ncube notes the area's descent into chaos, linking it to the hotel's ruin. Gwanda Rural District Council CEO Ranganai Sibanda sees potential revival as a strategic boon for district revenue, aligning with national development goals. The human cost remains severe, with anonymous sources mentioning teenage prostitution and violence plaguing the area.
