More problems for royal holiday home

The company building a holiday home for crown prince Willem-Alexander and his family as part of an exclusive resort in Mozambique is not living up to its promises, the Telegraaf reports on Thursday.


The paper says the five schools which have been built on the Manchangulo peninsula no longer have access to clean water and toilets and electricity were never installed. The report was drawn up on behalf of the development company Manchangulo Group, the paper says.
In addition, there is a lack of financial support for the local population and a shortage of clean drinking water, health care and educational services, the report says.
The building of the schools was an important condition for Willem-Alexander’s participation in the project. In addition, the Mozambique government would not have given permission for the resort to be developed without the schools, the Telegraaf states.
The report also warns that social tensions may arise from the import of foreign labour to build the resort, which will have 120 houses, 60 luxury villas, a hotel and a landing strip.
Intermediary
When news of the royal involvement broke last year, Willem-Alexander said they had been approached by friends about the project two years previously. Locals are very much involved in the developments around the project, such as building schools and sanitation, the prince said.
Last week it emerged that the prince had transferred his financial role in the project to an intermediary foundation.
The foundation’s manager Arnold van der Smeede told the Volkskrant the move had been made to create distance between the prince and the developer. ‘Any problems with the project will be the responsibility of the foundation, and will not be connected to Willem-Alexander as shareholder,’ he told the paper.

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