VICTORIA Falls Municipality has barred Zambian vendors from
entering the resort town to sell their wares, including foodstuffs, saying the
move was meant to contain the cholera outbreak that has claimed 51 lives in the
neighbouring country.
The local authority’s senior public health officer, Tongai
Ncube confirmed the development yesterday.
“For now, we are safe, but very vulnerable considering that
75% of households depend on buying from Zambian vendors, who move from
door-to-door,” he said.
“These people sell food, water and illegal substances and
very soon, we will hear of cholera cases. We need to tighten our screws. For
now, we will formally communicate with these traders to halt their business and
our local police will be tasked to control them so that they don’t venture into
the town. All those are efforts that will be only reinforced by residents if
they also stop buying from them and avoid shopping in Livingstone.”
Over 50 Zambian traders are believed to be crossing into
Zimbabwe on foot or bicycles daily using temporary gate passes to their sell
wares ranging from vegetables, fruit, second-hand clothes to illegal drugs.
Victoria Falls residents also occasionally cross into
Livingstone, Zambia, for leisure, medication and spiritual reasons.
“A regional newspaper has reported that ‘upmarket’ food
outlets such as Wimpy and Hungry Lion in Zambia have tested positive for the
cholera bacterium, so we urge Zimbabweans not to buy food or water from such
outlets,” Ncube warned.
The cholera outbreak was first detected in Lusaka in
October last year, before spreading.
Meanwhile, Chinese construction company AVIC International
on Thursday donated 100 000 kwacha to Zambia’s Health ministry to help combat
the cholera outbreak.
According to figures released by the Health ministry in the
Lusaka Times, Zambia has recorded 2 148 cholera cases with 51 deaths.
There are fears that the crisis may lead to economic
catastrophe.
Zambian President Edgar Lungu has since despatched the
military to help fight the outbreak, which is linked to contaminated water and
unsanitary conditions in the affected areas. Newsday
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