Brava/Transports: PAICV says the situation is “humiliating for passengers”

The national deputy of the African Independence Party of Cape Verde (PAICV, opposition), Clóvis Silva, said today that what is happening with the maritime connection to Ilha Brava represents a “humiliation for passengers”.

At a press conference today, in Praia, that deputy elected by the PAICV list on Brava also said that the current situation represents the “clearest” proof that the Government “did not take into account”, when granting the operation of transport seafarers to the company CVInterilhas, that the passenger and cargo transport service for Brava is “a public utility service” and “not a commercial activity”.

“And the result is in sight”, stressed the nationally elected official, adding that passengers are treated as “mere customers” and essential goods are treated as “mere commercial products”.

Therefore, he denounced, if the amount of cargo that arrives for the shipment order is not justified, it is left on the pier.

Clóvis Silva also said that if the number of children traveling exceeds a certain number, the agency “no longer sells a ticket to any child”, since children pay less than adults.

"There is a case of a father desperate to travel with his son having to buy an adult ticket for the child to be able to travel", said the deputy, also denouncing the company's refusal to receive cargo from small traders, fishmongers and vendors for the Embarkation at the port of Furna.

Clóvis Silva said that there are rumors that there are more trips to Brava, but he counters that “there are patients evacuated and tourists leaving on fishing boats”, this, he said, while the Sotavento ship is docking in the port of Furna.

“In front of my eyes. I was there! Tourists who arrived in Brava with the certainty that there would be transport so as not to miss connecting flights to Brava, and were defrauded. Pregnant women to be transported under these same conditions”, he added.

Still according to the denouncements of the deputy there have been “constant changes” and cancellations of trips without the passengers being informed.

“There are passengers who bought a ticket on the ship Liberdade for 3,669$00, Brava/Praia, but then traveled on the ship Sotavento whose ticket is 2,439$00 and were never reimbursed for the extra amount, that is, more than a thousand escudos for each passenger”, exemplified .

Clóvis Silva also reported cases of passengers who had to buy a new ticket and who “never received a refund for their ticket, due to the cancellation of the trip”.

“Brava lacks basic products such as chicken, oil, sugar, rice, vegetables, fruits and yogurt, and any fresh product is no longer purchased by traders to prevent it from reaching its destination without conditions of use”, he explained.

The same source also said that there is difficulty even in loading suitcases and correspondence from the Correios services.

“It is regrettable that this situation is happening and this chaos, which has become traveling to Ilha Brava, is only the responsibility of the Government, which handed it over to a company that cares little for people. Little does Cape Verde care”, accused Clóvis Silva.

For all this, he said, the PAICV calls for the Government to "immediately terminate" the contract with CVInterilhas, because the latter "is not and has never been in a position" to manage maritime transport in the country.

“Those who are unable to come and invest and then earn money do not need to come to this country to exploit the poverty and difficulty of our population in order to make a profit”, he concluded.

GSF/AA

Inforpress/End