Acting Zambia Railways Managing Director Muyenga Atanga says the railway firm will not completely discard plans initiated by former Chief Executive Officer Professor Clive Chirwa.
Dr Atanga said the Directors at Zambia Railways have evaluated Prof Chirwa’s business and that they will adopt some of them in the ZRL new corporate business strategy for the year 2013-2015.
Dr Atanga has been acting as the head of the railway firm after the PF government retired Prof Chirwa was retired in national interest.
Prof Chirwa had presented an elaborate strategy to turn around the struggling firm by modernizing its fleet, rehabilitation its lines and building new dual lines between Lusaka and Livingstone including the construction of an underground railway station at Lusaka.
But Prof Chirwa’s grand vision for Zambia Railways was cut short after a rift emerged with the Board of Directors led by Mark Chona over the management of the railway firm and the utilization of the US$ 120 million grant from the Eurobond leading to his retirement.
But Dr Atanga says his team will not abandon Prof Chirwa’s plans but will infuse some of them into the new corporate business strategy.
He was speaking in Lusaka on Monday when he opened a strategic planning meeting for Zambia Railways at Ndozo Lodge in Chilanga.
“We will use some of his ideas, we can’t just throw everything but what is important is coming up with a new corporate business strategy that will be relevant to the present situation in which ZRL has found itself in,” Dr Atanga said.
“As a new team, we are looking at goals that are relevant to our business environment. The idea is to undertake a SWOT analysis of the present situation and then come up with new goals and targets.”
Dr Atanga said Zambia Railways is targeting to increase its market share of the bulk transport sector from the current 12 percent by encouraging businesses to move their goods from road to rail.
“We are ambitious and we want to grow this business so that we don’t depend wholly on government. At present we are moving 114, 000 metric tons of cargo per month but we have since raised that target this month to 120 metric tons. This year we are hoping to move 1.135 million metric tons by December,” Dr Atanga said.
He said Zambia Railways has a rated capacity of between 5 and 6 million metric tons of cargo adding that his management team is hopeful that ZRL will increase the tonnage to 3.5 million metric tons by end of 2015.
On rehabilitations, Dr Atanga said his set to award companies the rehabilitation contracts of its rolling stock by the end of July.
“This rehabilitation project is the major aspect of the company’s turnaround, it is major because it involves the major components of our business which is the rolling stock,” he said.
“We will be awarding successful bidders this month and they will take about two years to rehabilitate our rolling stock and we are hoping by end of 2015, we be able to move over 3.5 million metric tons per year.”
Make the development of the Benguela Corridor a reality, so that exports and imports from the UK, USA & South America can utilize this route hence generating revenue for ZRL & ZRA. This should be the focus of investing the $120m not holding endless seminars to gobble the money in allowances!
This Atanga Chap is acting managing director… zambia must have alots actors… or is it that Sata likes using Actors?
Of course we should’nt throw away Prof Chirwa’s plans, we’ll keep and implement them in 2075 after meeting our more basic human needs of decent housing, piped water and sanitation in every household, and electrification of our villages. We don’t want to have people who have been robbed of these basic needs riding on world class underground trains during the day and end up in dehumanising dwellings at night!!! It’s called PRIORITISING, and not that we were evr opposed to his ideas!!!
How I dislike endles serminars that ever come up with utterly nothing but instead just keep sinking funds into the bottomless pockets! Its a shame.
Chirwa sure! what an ending!
I loved Chirwa. His undoing I guess is that he was too fast for the situation. He wanted to pull the meat from under the beaks of other vultures.
Yes, we must not abandon his plans and if the man loves Zambia, he can still offer some advice here and there. That is if you have respect for his contributions.
But ba Chirwa please, if ever you are consulted, do not puff yourself with intellectual pomposity. No one is indispensable on earth.
Yes it will be folly to discard those electric trains ideas.You can actually engage him as a consultant if need arises.
Is he related to fatha walya?
LOL – for sure, Made in Zambia….. I rest my case!
not made in zambia,,,Acted in zambia..lolo
At least Chriwa had a vision though he lacked managerial experience BUT with Muyenga Atanga just expect the selfsame plunder, nepotism, corruption and secrecy we are getting at ZESCO and ZAMTEL. The man was a civil servant who employed Chriwa what can he honestly do..its just laughable.
Chirwa was appointed by Sata not by Atanga!
And where was Atanga, was he not the PS for Transport…where was his expertise when things fell apart…he is also part of the problem, he is merely there to be a stooge protecting interests of the powers that be. I for one believe Chriwa’s plans were so ambitious they were going to put the road haulers out of business.
@Jay Jay
That has always been my point of view as well. Rumour has it that the deal to transport KCM copper was going to take business from a number of high ranking officials, hence the only solution was to get rid of Chirwa.
Chirwa – Used and discarded like a paper towel.
Also Chirwa, greed clouded his judgement, brother knew he couldn’t handle that job, he likes to build castles in the air, heck he lives in one!.
Chirwa is brilliant Engineer and what this country needs to develop are Engineers. We should have just managed his lack of experience in corporate governance. Even Ferguson of Man U could not discard wayward Wayne Rooney because he saw talent in him.
If the current team will continue with ‘Chirwa’s plans,’ then they need to continue paying him, if not, Chirwa should copyright or patent his ideas and let the new team start afresh.
Then all retirees should be paid for all ideas they contributed in their respective companies…
What a dull contribution! That was his job at that time, he was appointed for that and paid accordingly, until he blew up. End of story! That have not stolen them. He made them available to the company by virtue of his position then as CEO of ZRL.
You seem to run out of ideas of how legitimate money can be made uh.
they have paid him already. Retired with full benefits.
Is he the fatha of body language???? jst wondering, he seems as if hes about to slap somebody
I loved Chirwa. His undoing I guess is that he was too fast for the situation. He wanted to pull the meat from under the beaks of other vultures.
Yes, we must not abandon his plans and if the man loves Zambia, he can still offer some advice here and there. That is if you have respect for his contributions.
But ba Chirwa please, if ever you are consulted, do not puff yourself with intellectual pomposity. No one is indispensable on earth.
What everyone seems to ignore is the fact that Chirwa was corrupt. How do you contract your family business for a state venture in which you are CEO? Atase.. are we kids?
Dr Atanga is qualified to run ZRL since he has worked for ZCCM Limited as a Mining Engineer and Mine Manager of Mufulira Mine so he has the experience and he is a very practical.Every engineer with experience in the mining Industry can manager a big company like ZRL.
Oh,.. My brother, we don’t doubt anything you say,….
My problem with us Zambian’s is that that’s all we ever do,… we just say, and we talk through our degrees and certificates.
There is a big difference between merely running a public company AND running that company profitably…next you will tell us that any medical doctor is more than qualified to manage UTH.
Remember the mines collapsed leaving only ZCCM a shell company. Is tha the experience we are looking for?
The entire Zambia is too dull to prpoduce original plans for development? What a nation of drunkards and danda heads led by a grade 7 dagga smoker whose manifesto can only be explained in Bemba with a Bemba accent,
Naba Posa Kale……
Curious whether he’ll be compensated for use of his plans?
Just asking.
Then all retirees should be paid for all ideas they contributed in their respective companies…
What a dull contribution! That was his job at that time, he was appointed for that and paid accordingly, until he blew up. End of story! That have not stolen them. He made them available to the company by virtue of his position then as CEO of ZRL.
You seem to run out of ideas of how legitimate money can be made uh.
@chikwanda – Galileo
Thank you for explaining the reason he would not be paid for his plans. You make a fair point.
As for the rest of it. “What a dull contribution!” and “you seem to run out of ideas of how legitimate money can be made uh”. Take those statements, soak them in cow dung, roll them and shove them up your mother’s you-know-where.
I don’t know where. Can you explain in plain language and to the point what you mean? Give an example of yourself, where do you shove them? Is it not a rubbish pit you have?
Use your imagination. Or google it if you’re that clueless.
Hope am not dreaming. Atanga acting as MD for ZRL. This is but a Joke.
I know UKWA is a JOKE by himself, did not expect anything sensible coming from him, but I expected him to show maturity by ensuring Prof Chirwa goes ahead with his Plans of transforming ZRL.
Feel sorry for my standard 2 cum President.
Not to put too fine a point on it but……I’ve seen some Zambians who can’t even create an original name for blogging! – they take an existing blogger’s name (mine) and adjust it a little and then pretend it’s theirs!
You fock a guy up, chuck him from a job, hang him out to dry and twist his international reputation THEN realise that the fellow was smarter than all of you as$es combined and raised exponentially to a factor of 4000. So you wnat to use his plans! Did I leave anything out?
Either you work with the man or come up with your own ideas. The professor is gone and now the pressure is on. Get as many suits and ties as you can because your boss will fire you soon for not performing. We supported Mr Chirwa because he had guts and broke away from the usual Zambian mentality of any old rubbish will do.
GBM has his leased trucks moving copper, Fred M’membe has his fleet of leased trucks shipping copper too. ZRL was supposed to ship all copper out at a fraction of the cost of road transport.
Fred and GBM couldn’t afford that crap so they f@cked the prof up and got him fired.
Simple logic.
Now you need zrl to make money and there is only one way. Its blocked! You’re so f@cked!
Hehehehe!
The only way to have success with ZRL is have me as advisor!
The dreams of transforming ZL to the original plans by Clive is completely shuttered and dead. Dr. Muyenga Atanga says ZL will not completely discard plans initiated by Professor Clive Chirwa. This implies less than 0.5 of the original plans may be implemented by Dr. Atanga. We Zambians are very disappointed for the failure of ZL to proceed with the dream of Clive. This is what happens when you displace the owner of the vision. Dr. Muyenga and the management are limited by $120 million which they see, they can not see beyond that amount because they see with no understanding. Thinking like an innovative engineer you have more than $120 million. You have to think more than an ordinary engineer to achieve a dream. It is not a matter of just running a company, but to have passion.
My Brother, do you honestly think Atanga (A PF Party Cadre), can think outside of the Box.
They knew no one will get a shoddy deal under Clive, decided to do away with him and bring in this Party Cadre. Am comforted by the fact that we now more than ever before are counting by the end our UKWA’s life, that is getting wasted by a minute.
Unfortunately, Zambian Watchdog says Pro. Clive resume is empty & that he is not honest. Pro. Clive was honest & he has a rich CV. He has put what he has done alone & what he has done in a group. Clive’s CV relates to his profession. He did not say he worked as a CEO or Chief engineer or has experience in running a business. Lack of understanding different types of CV was a factor to Zambia Watch Dog. Clive did not come to repair broken water pipe but he offered to rescue ZL. No Z. Watchdog has ever offered to repair water pipes or do something for Zambia, but to get rid of people who are innovative. 15 year ago at ZESCO, we used SWOT analysis to conduct business, but up now load shed is in effect. Above all things ZL CEO needs to have passion & innovative to achieve Clive’s dream.
They are bound to fail, an organization must have it’s plans and not personal plans! During the course of implementation of any project plans change and hence at ZRS things changed and trying to implement Chirwa’s plan is wishful thinking. They must come up with their own plans period. So the whole of them have no plans and trying to go the Chirwa way, it is a sheer waste of resources and they must just quit or bring him back or find someone who can steer a roadmap for ZRS!
Zimmerman @ 19, Spot On!!! All this when it comes out Years from now, will reek of Corruption. Decisions that appear plausible now, will show there was a lot of self Corrupt interests, & hence Chirwa had to go, to Protect ” Their Goose that’s laying them GOLDEN EGGS”. Someone made a comment about. China makings startling Recovery, once they opened their Economy few years ago. The Difference between China & Zambia is there are consequences for Economic Sabotage – via Corruption, whereas in Zambia Corruption PAYS. I rest my case.
this is the problem we ve in zambia is, anyone with degree,masters phd is treated as a godfather even if they cant deliver. A good example is zamtel; look at the poor services offered thru their mobile service providin since this mwanaka something chap was appointed. Atanga is best left to run ramcoz not ZRL. Pls zedians believer in pipo who can deliver not papers.
ONE OF PROF CHIRWAS PLANS WAS TO LEAVE THE ILLEGAL HOUSES CONSTRUCTED ON THE RAILWAY LINE BETWEEN CHAWAMA AND LILAYI INTACT WITHOUT DEMOLISHING THEM. WILL DR. ATANGA ALSO FOLLOW THIS PLAN?
now the questtion is…do you have to go to Ndozo Lodge in Chilanga just for a strategic planning meeting? why not just in the company board room… parastatal really puzzle me. so if you ask me the allowances they are giving each other…more than their monthly salaries.
“As a new team “my foot!!! a management full of mediocre people with certificates of attendance and fake online degrees crowding their cvs as directors,shame!!!you are doomed to fail!.you should have started by continuing with Prof Chirwa’s decision to advertise the director positions and recruit on merit instead of handing acting positions to some ill-qualified bootlickers who failed with RSZ and now want to come out as champions today.get the right people with the right qualifications in the right positions.infact you are also a wrong chap that’s why you are surrounding yourself with those people.govt should have appointed a board of directors who should recruited the ceo and who should have gone on to get his management team with the blessings of the Board of directors