Almost a year after the Berjaya Mahe Beach was purchased by Sagar Hotels, a Middle East group, the workers are in limbo and none the wiser what the future holds for them at the once prestigious hotel. The government it seems could not be bothered they are too busy keeping the sinking ship sinking. Major renovation works have not materialised and former workers remain idle all day long. It is unclear how many have been paid any compensation. And workers are not that many. Several years before the sale, Berjaya had closed almost two thirds of the hotel, keeping just about 40 rooms functional because of poor occupancy. Someone who ran a small craft shop there claims that some days the only sale is a few postcards.
The Mahe Beach, one of Seychelles’ first major hotels, inaugurated by former President James Mancham in 1976, has changed hands several times. After the 1977coup, it was purchased and ran for a while by African Safari, which brought in tourists on its own plane from Nairobi. The Swiss owners were expropriated after a few years and no compensation ever paid. The hotel was run by the state, which at one time contracted the Sheraton Hotel group to manage it. This achieved some measure of success, but did not last long. The last time, the Mahe Beach came under the limelight, was in 1998 when it was the venue of the Miss World Beauty pageant.
The Sagar group has also purchased a hotel in Mauritius and renovation works have been stalled too. But, at Port Glaud, the Mahe Beach commands a superb location, with fantastic mountain and sea views. Its days of glory are but bygones. Top people in this government having received their ounce of fat could not care less.