Tourists shocked with the state of Sesheke-Livingstone Road

Sesheke-Livingstone Road

Germany Tourists at a lodge in Livingstone

Some Tourists are surprised that authorities in Zambia have left the Sesheke-Livingstone Road to be in such a deplorable state.

The Sesheke-Livingstone Road is an international route that connects Zambia to Namibia. There is a lot of traffic of tourists from Europe, especially Germans who come to Zambia through this road.  Zambia also receives a lot of imported goods that use the Walvis Bay Harbour in Namibia. The Sesheke-Livingstone Road is also a transit route for goods to DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. The route is therefore of strong economic potential to the Zambian economic development.

There is not a single driver who has used the road and not complained about the hardship experienced to get to Livingstone.

These Tourists in the picture from Germany were very disappointed with the state of the road. They hired a vehicle from Namibia to visit the Victoria Falls. The Tourists complained to one of the Tour Operators in Livingstone that if they knew the status of the road, they would have chosen other options.

The Tourists wondered how the Zambian government would leave such an important road in such a state without fear of losing Tourists who would opt to go to other countries. They complained that it was a nightmare to drive on Sesheke-Livingstone Road.

And a number of Tour Operators talked to by Zambian Eye confirmed receiving such complaints from Tourists and have called on government to treat the matter as urgent.

“I have been receiving such complaints and this is really affecting the Tourism sector and it seems those in-charge are unmoved and do not care but please don’t mention my name because these guys are ruthless they will come for my business,” stated one Tour Operator who chose to remain anonymous for fear of victimization.

But former Livingstone Tourism Association Kingsley Lilamono has charged that the road was an embarrassment to the country and has called on authorities to immediately move in and start working on the road.

Lilamono said:

“To be honest with you, this is embarrassing for the tourism industry, both to the private and public sector. The question they would usually pose is that don’t you care about losing to the competition with your neighbouring countries?”

I may be wrong, but I have not heard debate about this road from our politicians. There is need for the members of parliament for Sesheke, Mwandi and Kazungula to put their heads together and address the situation. Leaving the situation unattended will be a barrier to the development of tourism and the general economy in Zambia.”

The other road that is of much concern to motorists is the Mazabuka-Chirundu junction road. This road is literally abandoned.

In 2011 after forming government, the Patriotic Front under late president Michael Sata embarked on a mass-infrastructure programme – constructing roads, which they said was intended to link-up the country for easy movements. They had a programme called Link Zambia 8000, which was to construct roads covering a distance of 8000 Kilometres. The sad thing however is that such important roads were not in this plan.

They have been pronouncements that the roads will be worked on but as it is now there are no such signs. And with rains coming, these roads are now deathtraps.