SOUTHERN province minister Edify Hamukale wrote: “I don't know why those older than me have been hiding this from all boys in Southern province. If you are dating and aiming to marry a difficult to propose girl, just take her to the Victoria Falls and propose to marry her from there.
“She will fail to say no. First of all, your shyness will disappear and she will be smiling the whole day within the fence of the falls. ...just kneel down properly and look confident, nature will do the rest for you.”
Funny as it may sound, perhaps anyone that has been there lately would agree with the provincial minister. Following its reopening by President Edgar Lungu, as expected, over 1,600 people including three foreign nationals have thronged the national heritage site which was thundering in isolation.
Make no mistake however, people are required to observe social distancing guidelines and masking up for everyone entering the site. The Victoria Falls was on March 29 this year, closed as a way of mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.
Just two days after being closed, the falls recorded its highest peak of 4289 cubic metres per second of water falling over the falls - half the record highest peak of 9436 cubic metres per second of 1958.
A new dawn came when President Lungu toured the falls last week and directed that it should be reopened to the public in order to allow businesses in the tourist capital to survive.
The move has elated many players.
The Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) which was instrumental in lobbying for the reopening of the falls says the move will go a long way in turning around the fortunes of Livingstone, whose economy is tourism dependent.
A number of tour operators in Livingstone have resorted to either laying off workers or sending them on forced leave citing loss of business due to the coronavirus.
In a space of two months alone, Bushtracks Africa laid off 60 employees while Livingstone Adventures declared 130 of its workers redundant citing the same reasons.
LTA board chairperson Rodney Sikumba who has called on tour operators to reduce their rates, says the reopening of the falls is a move in the right direction.
“Quite alright, it received a lot of mixed reactions from some sections, but for us, it is good because we are giving an opportunity to people to view the falls which are flowing with water at its peak,” he says.
Safety measures are not being taken lightly either.
The LTA in conjunction with the National Heritage and Conservation Commission (NHCC), the Livingstone City Council (LCC), the Ministry of Health and Zambia Police recently held a multi-sectoral meeting at the site to discuss and intensify safety measures to avoid a spread of the coronavirus.
It is believed that within two days of reopening, the heritage site received over 700 visitors.
“We engaged the stakeholders and resolved that everyone that will be allowed inside will have to be screened and registered in the register for easy contact tracing. We have thermometers and hand washing stations all over,” he says.
A check at the site revealed that residents, mostly families relaxing and admiring the beauty of the falls while those without recommended face masks such as cloth, surgical or N95 masks were being turned away.
“Scarves and handkerchiefs are not allowed in here,” an officer was heard telling the visitors, while asking them to buy face masks from the ticketing office.
No more than 100 people are being allowed into the falls at a time. Mr Sikumba has also appealed to locals to understand and adhere to the measures being put in place.
“We would like to believe that there will be people coming here to view the falls from other towns and in turn would want a game drive and also accommodation. So, for us, the reopening is a good thing provided people do as they are being advised,” he said.
Livingstone Public Transport Association (LPTA) chairperson Christopher Banda says the reopening of the Victoria Falls is a welcome move provided people follow the safety measures and guidelines.
He said the closure of the falls had a negative impact on drivers operating on the Victoria Falls border route. “Can you imagine that sometimes we would only load a maximum of three taxis and buses on that route? It was really bad for business but we also understood that the closure was for the good of the people,” he says.
He called on people to adhere to the social distancing guidelines set up by the Government. “That way, we will prevent the disease from coming here,” he says. Chikonka Monde who used to sell curios at the Victoria Falls and the bridge says the reopening of the falls will be a great boost to business and livelihood for him and his other colleagues.
“When it was closed, we all lost out on business and it affected our families a great deal. Right now, I am at home in Mukuni Village since there is no business at the falls and the bridge. Of course, our biggest buyers are foreigners, but this reopening will give us some breathing space to start afresh and recover losses,” he says.
Mr Monde’s views are also shared by the Victoria Falls Curio Traders Association (VFTA) chairperson Fabian Siazibola.
Mr Siazibola is happy that business will normalise following its reopening. “We are grateful to President Lungu and we shall ensure that all the regulations are upheld,” he says.
Some tour operators whose business is more than 90 percent dependent on international travelers are looking forward to the day international travel restrictions will be relaxed.
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