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Trucks parked along the Kitwe-Chingola Dual Carriageway
road this morning. -Picture by Ralph Mukuka
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Thousands of
trucks from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) are stuck on the
Zambian side of the Kasumbalesa border post in Chililabombwe District following
the detection of two suspected cases of Corona Virus in the Congolese city of
Lubumbashi.
On Sunday,
authorities in the Congolese border town of Kasumbalesa closed their side of
the border after word went round that the Corona Virus had reached Lubumbashi.This caused panic on the Zambian side as hundreds of truckers from SADC parked their vehicles after failed attempts to cross the border.
This forced
authorities on the Zambian side to engage their Congolese counterparts who
agreed to address the truckers.
“The border
is wide open as I speak. But the truth is that we had two cases of Corona Virus
in Lubumbashi yesterday and the Governor of Upper Katanga has directed us to
take measures to avoid the spread,” said Adrian Kapampa, the Mayor of the
Congolese town of Kasumbalesa when he addressed hundreds of truck drivers on
the Zambian side.
Despite this
assurance, truckers refused to cross fearing the Corona virus.
Buy the end
of Sunday; the queue of trucks from the Kasumbalesa border reached the town of
Chililabombwe which is 15 kilometers away.
And by
midday today, the queue has reached the mining town of Chingola which is 50
kilometers away.
The trucks
are now pilling up on the Kitwe-Chingola Dual Carriageway and authorities fear
that if truckers do not cross into the DRC, the queue may reach Zambia’s second
largest city Kitwe which is 54 kilometers away.
Kasumbalesa is
the busiest crossing point between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC).
Trucks from
across SADC use the border to supply the DRC with mining equipment, food and
fuel.
On the other
hand, raw materials from the mineral rich Katanga region pass through the
Kasumbalesa border on its way to ports like Durban in South Africa, Walvis Bay
in Namibia and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania.
Kasumbalesa,
which handles about 1,200 trucks on a daily basis, is a major economic center
for the region and any disturbance on the operations has far reaching
consequences to the two countries.
“As a municipality,
we are worried because these truckers are parked along the road where there are
no sanitary facilities. This is a big threat to us and can spread communicable
diseases. Secondly, most truck drivers come from countries where the Corona
Virus has already been detected,” said Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo in an
interview.
A visit to
the Chingola-Kitwe Dual Carriageway, Chingola-Chililabombwe road and the Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa
road found drivers using the nearby bush as toilet.
“In this
situation it is easy to catch the Corona Virus because as drivers, we come from
various countries,” lamented Kelvin Milambo, a Zambian driver who works for a
South African trucking company.
Other truck
drivers are more worried about health. |
Some truckers from foreign countries have been stuck
on the queue for over two days.
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“We are
asking the Zambian government to supply us with a water bowser so that we can
be washing our hands and relieving ourselves,” said another driver who did not
want to be named.
The threat of Covid 19 is high in Zambia, a southern African country which has now
confirmed 12 cases.
Earlier in
the day, President Edgar Lungu addressed the nation and announced that 10 more
cases had been detected and an undisclosed number of people have been placed
under quarantine.
As a measure
to contain the virus, all schools, bars, gyms and cinemas have been shut while
churches only operate for an hour per week.
The Zambian
government has resisted calls to lockdown the country insisting that the
country’s landlocked geographical position can disadvantage it if a lockdown is
enforced.
Opposition UPND
leader Hakainde Hichilema has led calls for a lockdown.
President
Lungu has shut down three international airports, only allowing the Kenneth Kaunda
International Airport in Lusaka to handle international flights.Zambia has four international airports in Lusaka, Ndola, Mfuwe and Livingstone.
Of the 12
cases of Corona Virus recorded, 11 involve Zambians who returned from abroad.
This could
be the reason why some international airports have been shut.
The airport
in Lusaka has more sophisticated surveillance equipment.
Zambia imports
and exports a lot of products from China, Europe and the United States of
America and it relies on its neighbours for passage of these vital products.This could be the reason why the Cabinet has resisted locking down the country as South Africa has done.
But despite this disease posing a big challenge to society, Zambians have taken a casual approach to it.
On the
streets, people can still be seen gathering in large numbers, shaking hands and
hugging.
If a
lockdown ever comes to Zambia, soldiers have to be deployed to enforce it
because Zambians cannot keep themselves away from the streets.
But one
positive aspect the Corona Virus has brought is a quest for cleanliness.
Markets and
streets are being cleaned by traders without being forced by authorities.
And the
threat of the virus has hit hard on the hospitality and tourism sector.
Several national
and international conferences and meetings have been cancelled or postponed.
“So far,
15,000 visitors have cancelled their trips to Zambia since we recorded our
first case of the Corona Virus. Some of them are even demanding refunds,” said
Zambia’s Tourism Minister Ronald Chitotela last week.
Livingstone,
a town which hosts the majestic Victoria Falls, has suffered heavily due to the
Corona Virus.
The town, which
is unofficially recognized as Zambia’s tourism capital, has seen a slump in
tourist bookings and arrivals and with the closure of its international airport
as announced today, the situation is likely to become even worse.
The state
run Times
of Zambia newspaper has reported today that 759 out of the 1,200
workers involved in the tourism industry in Livingstone have lost their jobs.
Livingstone is
named after the 18th Century English explorer David Livingstone who became
the first white man to see the Victoria Falls which locals call “Mosi Ou Tunya”
or the Smoke that thunders.In the mining region of the Copperbelt, the effects of the Corona Virus have also been felt.
The Copperbelt,
which borders the DRC, has several copper, cobalt and emerald mines.
“We have
also been badly hit by the Corona Virus. Most of the equipment we supply to the
mines come from China and the restrictions put in place to contain the virus
thatside have seen our products delaying on arrival for between 15 to 20 days,”
said Augustine Mubanga, President of the Association of Mine Suppliers and
Contractors.
Mine
Suppliers and Contractors are a major stakeholder in Zambia’s mining sector as
they employ thousands of workers to execute their contracts in major mines run
by renowned international firms like Glencore, Gemfields and Vedanta.
Countrywide,
alcohol based sanitisers which are being encouraged by health authorities, have
run out in most chain stores as Zambians rush to protect themselves from the
virus.
This has led
to locals using improvised methods of sanitizing their hands using local
products.