from SNIKE MZULAH in Chiavonga, Zambia Zambia Bureau SIAVONGA, (CAJ News) SOME lodge owners in Siavonga are reportedly charging visitors to access the sand beaches, much to the anger of tourists.This came to light when University of Zambia (UNZA) School of Medicine students paid a courtesy on Siavonga District Commissioner (DC), Geoffrey Jakopo, where they disclosed that Sandy Beach Safari Lodge asked them to pay up to K50 (US$2,61) per person.

Martin Kampamba, a UNZA lecturer, disclosed the trend. As a group of 20, they were reportedly charged K1 000.”We came here to visit Siavonga for community based education.

There are few things that we noted with our students when (we) visited some lodges and hotels here,” he said.”At Sandy Beach Safari Lodge, we were denied entry just to view and enjoy our own beach, my own heritage as a Zambian,” he said disappointedly.

Kampamba said they could not manage to pay.”Imagine we have international students from Botswana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

So for us it was a huge embarrassment to be denied entry to the beach,” he complained.Kampamba appealed to the government to address the issue.

“This should be addressed as soon as possible because we are not in colonial days to be treated like this by the investors. That’s our land, 50 metres from the beach is free for all,” he said.

“We appeal to the government through the Minister of Tourism to look into this. There is a huge problem in Siavonga that has to be sorted out immediately.

” p id=”caption-attachment-58532″ HCAZ chairman Tikambila BandaKampamba quoted Sandy Beach Safari Lodge proprietor, Herman Striedl, as saying he was charging visitors to access the beach because he spent “a lot of money” to bring sand and make a beach.Jakopo said the issue was denting the image of Siavonga.

“Siavonga is a tourist town, why should Sandy Beach Safari Lodge be charging visitors to access the beach?” he asked.Jakopo explained, “I know that 50 meters away from the lake is no man’s land.

No one owns it.”He said there were no such charges in the capital Lusaka and tourist hub, Livingstone, as well as neighbouring countries like Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

“Zambia is our country. The beach is free for everyone,”Jakopo also observed that some lodge and hotel owners had taken advantage of the low water levels in Lake Kariba to extend their properties thereby denying local people access to the waterfront.

“It’s an offence on its own because no one owns the lakeshore but they are busy extending their properties up to the lakefront,” he said.”This is our land.

Our people were relocated away from this same land to pave way for the construction of the Kariba Dam. For someone to claim to own the lakeshore or the beach is really unbecoming.

Siavonga town council should move in. Enough is enough,” Jakopo said.

p id=”caption-attachment-58533″ Outrage as Siavonga hotels charge to access beachesTikambilani Banda, Siavonga Hospitality Catering Association in Zambia (HCAZ) chairman, said the hotels and lodges implicated do not belong to his association.”It’s sad that the government has allowed that stupidity to prevail in the tourist town, those hotels and lodges that are charging people for entry and viewing the sand beaches, where we have those problems do not belong to HCAZ,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from Siavonga Tourism and Business Association proved futile by press time. CAJ News

Source: CAJ News Agency