Draper took to X on August 28 to announce that he’d like serious buyers to send him an email about it, and also for a possible negotiation. “Gorgeous place, but we don’t use it enough,” he wrote on the platform, adding that he’d take $7.9 million or the best offer.
There’s no broker or any site listing in his post. And the strategy seemed to work quickly for him: Draper told Forbes on August 29 that he already had several offers and thought the island “[would] be sold quickly.”
But on August 31, the Tanzanian government stepped in.
What Tanzania says is actually changing hands
The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development issued a public notice on Aug. 31 after seeing Draper’s post circulate on social media. The one-page statement, in Swahili, doesn’t dispute that he wants to sell. It spells out what he actually holds.
The island is one of the areas designated for investment under the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority, the ministry said, and TISEZA “is the owner under the law.” TISEZA leased the area and granted a derivative right to Firelight Safaris Ltd, the company that runs the resort, “for use as a tourist hotel.” Draper, the statement said, “is among the shareholders.” Firelight’s own website describes him as a director who “became a part of the company” after a safari with its founders, Tom and Belinda Lithgow.
And the law behind that is Tanzania’s Land Act, which treats all land as public land held by the president as trustee, so nobody there holds freehold, citizen or foreigner. Non-citizens can only occupy land for investment purposes, and the state’s own investment guidance says land may be leased for up to 99 years but cannot be sold to foreigners. A buyer isn’t getting the island.
What Firelight holds, the ministry said, it “may transfer to another investor in accordance with the laws and procedures of the country.”
Must Read
Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first — clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.
What $7.9 million gets you on Lake Tanganyika
The island Draper promoted is located on Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania, in Nkasi District, Rukwa Region. He had bought into it since 2004, Forbes reported, and four years of building followed. It now runs as a resort with 10 cottages, a spa, gym, pool and games room, and a stay comes with a private butler and more than 30 staff.
Forbes also reported that guests take a private jet to Lupita’s own mainland airstrip and a boat from there, or fly commercial to Mpanda Airport, drive four hours and then cross by boat.
