Kariba Member of Parliament Isaac MacKenzie says flights to Kariba must resume because there is no tourism in the resort town. It is dead.
Contributing to the President’s speech MacKenzie said Kariba should be given publicity just like the Victoria Falls.
“Kariba is a tourist resort but nothing is moving, it is dead,” he said.
“We would want flights to Kariba to resume. We would want publicity of Kariba just like is the case with other areas like Victoria Falls.
“All conference centres that have been constructed in Victoria Falls and conferences that are being held in Victoria Falls should also be transferred to Kariba. This will enable tourism to grow in that area.”
MacKenzie also said local residents of the town were being short-changed as they were not being allowed to fish and licences for fishermen were too expensive.
“In Kariba there is a leisure bay which is on the shores of Lake Kariba and this is where the whites used to enjoy themselves – from Mahombekombe to Nyamhunga. The same law still applies today and our indigenous people are not benefitting because they are not allowed to be on the shores of Lake Kariba or to even go and fish from there,” he said.
“They are being charged $5 to be allowed to go and fish. The places where the blacks are being barred from fishing, the whites go there and they fish free of charge, which I believe is not good. There is one of the whites called Houghton in Kariba and if we look at some of the laws that are in existence, I do not know how the people who are in the kapenta fishing industry are fined because they are being forced to pay heavy fines.
“If anyone is found with nets for kapenta in shallow waters; they are made to pay $2 000 to $2 500 and the majority of our people are in dire straits as they are unable to raise such fines. Once you are caught, your boats will be confiscated by the Parks and Wildlife Management will only be released after you have paid the fine.
“Thirty-seven years down the road after independence to have such laws is unacceptable Madam Speaker, because these laws are oppressive to our people.”
MacKenzie complained that licences to fish kapenta were five times what Zambians paid.
“The problem that we face currently is that if you go to the same lake, those that are in Zambia pay $400 per year for kapenta fishing and in Zimbabwe you pay $2 000 per year, which is $500 quarterly. For the other quarter, they do not embark on any fishing but they are asked to pay the money, regardless of them not fishing in that quarter.
“In Mozambique at Kabora Bassa, they pay $800 and we believe that such laws are punitive to our own indigenous people,” he said.
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