Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) subsidiary Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel has bowed to pressure from activists to employ local labour as it undergoes massive renovations.
The hotel is closed to the public as it undergoes some facelift.
On Friday, members of the Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) picketed in front of the hotel alleging the hotel management had bused in people from Harare to work at the hotel.
Eleven protesters were arrested by the police.
Hundreds of job seekers turned up at the hotel on Saturday responding to an advert that was circulating on social media inviting interested job seekers to come for interviews.
However, the hotel manager Innocent Kufa dismissed the advert as a hoax.
“For now the hotel is closed because there is no water. Internal technicians are working on the problem,” Kufa told a group of job seekers that responded to the advert.
He said external vacancies will be advertised on Monday February 11 and hiring will commence the following day.
Kufa said the hotel does not flight any adverts on social media.
“We do not flight adverts on social media, we put them on newspapers and they will be bearing a signature of the management, therefore watch out for the proper one on newspapers on Monday”.
Upon being questioned on the rumours that the hotel had brought in labour from Harare, Kufa dismissed the allegations saying the hotel contracted a local company to do renovations.
“Mr Bhebhe the owner of Motsamai Lodge is the project manager who was awarded the contract. There are no people from Harare coming to work here,” he stated.
He says there are only 36 people, contracted by Bhebhe working at the hotel at the moment.
“There are 36 people from the contractor, of which 30 are local people. They are experts, not general workers,” said Kufa.
He accused MRP of crafting and circulating the hoax message on social media.
“Those who demonstrated yesterday are the ones who crafted and circulated the message on employment.”
