Friday, March 29, 2024

The Crucifixion of Zambia Railways Vision by Prof Clive Chirwa

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CRUCIFIXION OF ZRL VISION

By Professor Clive Chirwa

Distinguished Professor of Automotive & Aerospace Engineering
Newly Appointed Research Professor at Copperbelt University

Introduction

In November last year I accepted an invitation from The Republican President to come home to Zambia and run Zambia Railways limited (ZRL) in the capacity as Chief Executive Officer.

I abandoned everything to come and serve my country. In December I carried out my orientation study in order to understand the enormous problems ZRL was facing after the demise of Railway System of Zambia (RSZ) concession.

After meticulously analysing the infrastructure and operations of ZRL, I believed as a distinguished engineer with an international business acumen that the problems were mathematically and practically solvable.

To that effect, I planned the entire implementation period broken down in four phases to such accuracy that Zambians would have seen true deliverables of the highest internationally acceptable quality for less public money in five years.

In addition, before returning to my University in the UK post my contract, I would have trained a young CEO to take over my designed modern 21st Century railway infrastructure with Zambian made rolling stock and partially home assembled locomotives.

The story you are reading here is in part about how a vision was crucified in its infancy by those who are not interested in seeing this country progress and for political reasons rather than for accomplishing engineering solutions that will benefit generations to come.

The Plan

The story begins from my study room in the UK where I was designing for my country new railway lines, wagons, passenger coaches and station buildings; while people in Zambia were celebrating Christmas and New Year.

By 5th January this year, on my birthday, I had completed all the mathematical designs and began computer simulations of the systems. This was extremely difficult, but since the problems were engineering in nature that meant they were solvable.

A week after completion, I flew into Zambia and presented my vision with all the designs to the Zambian people at the government complex conference centre in Lusaka.

The public lecture was fully packed and the entire rehabilitation and new construction of Zambia Railway vision was presented to not only the nation, but the world at large.

The response from investors, financiers and railway engineering firms who wanted to work with us was electric. This was going to be the biggest infrastructure project in Southern Africa and was going to create thousands of jobs for our people since we categorically stated in our policy document that the railway project will be built by Zambians alone with finances from outside Zambia.

At this moment in time I was working 12 to 15 hours a day running the implementation plan in my head and discussing it with all the ZRL employees through a well structured internal lecture series.

The project and its delivery sequence was planned so well by the responsible management team and engineers at ZRL that under my leadership we were confident of delivering in the specified period.

The Project Vision

We divided the project into four phases namely: Phase I – Rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure along the main line and the inter-mines; Phase II – construction of the second line parallel to the existing line from Chingola to Livingstone, electrification and the sinking of Lusaka station 1.3 km distance; Phase III – construction of railway line to connect Mpulungu port in the north to TAZARA at Mpika and beyond to Chipata line; and Phase IV – The connection of mulobezi line to the new bridge at Kazungula connecting Zambia and Botswana.

The EURO Bond US$120 million is not enough

In my five year contract I was geared to execute only Phases I and II with an estimated budget of US$1.5 Billion. How were we going to source this money you may ask? As a leader I took charge and plans were made to use the EURO Bond US$120 million as seedling money that we were going to present to capital markets for us to be offloaded the rest of the money.

This was perfect and many financiers overseas were ready to just do that at very reasonable rates. This would have meant that the Zambian public would have had a modern railway paid by eager private companies.

What is transpiring now, where the Euro Bond money is just going to be used for the rehabilitation is not correct for the simple reason that it is not enough and will be wasted before the rehabilitation part of the project is even completed.

My vision was the best avenue to achieving a modern railway with little money.

Opposition to the Vision

However, not everyone accepted my vision. When asked why? The responses have always been based on myopia perhaps due to not understanding complex engineering problems and to some extent lack of exposure.

The biggest misunderstanding has been the sinking of Lusaka station and the electrification of the main line. For the sinking of the Lusaka station people were saying there are big rocks underground or there is water underground. To me as an engineer this is the simplest of the problems.

Therefore, we were going to do it cheaply by open pit methodology where we were going to have a single or double deck passages. In the double deck design, the cars would have passed above the railway line.

Economically, the city would have reclaimed the most expensive piece of land in Zambia for building development at the same time reduce congestion in the city as many routes would have connected the west end to the east end of Lusaka.

A Dutch company with enormous experience in tunnelling in mushy saturated water grounds gave us a presentation on similar projects, while a Swiss company presented tunnelling trough rocks.

As an engineer I always knew that it can be done at calibrated cost.

On electrification of the line, the argument by anti-development group has been to say we do not need it since that can only work in the first world.

For me to prove it to them I had to go not far, just around the countries near Zambia. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia have all electrified railway lines in parts. Even the Democratic Republic of Congo that we stereotype as the backward nation has working 850 km of electrified railway lines since the 1950s.

As you can see the backward country has turned out to be Zambia. My electrification proposal was meant to reduce the ZRL enormous diesel cost accounting nearly 40% of gross revenue and it made a lot of sense for long term since Zambia has no oil that can be commercially exploited and plus the removal of fuel subsidies will hurt ZRL further.

I see no long term future in diesel engines for the main line between Chingola and Livingstone due to the fuel cost that will be prohibitive.

The Anti-Development Group

The anti-development group for the railway in Zambia is not composed of illiterate people.

This group has many facets from political garbage hiding behind persona incognito to some truck owners who have heavily invested in the lorries with borrowed money.

The change in a working railway is perceived as a threat to their businesses and they would rather curtail national development for selfish ends in copper haulage business.

The other facet is composed of government officials who travel abroad a lot in pretence to attending exhibitions and general meetings.

As soon as they get to the airport on their return, they dump in the bin the collected brochures from the exhibitions to provide space for one more pair of cheap shoes for someone who is not part of their family.

The anti-development group is only interested in chaos because that is when they thrive. The losers are the people of Zambia who want to see real development not numerous shopping malls that sales unaffordable products to them.

Zambia Railways is Currently Losing Money

ZRL cannot afford not to change. Indeed I will encourage the new management to embrace my vision so that they can take the company forward.

As a technocrat and not a politician, although I have helped political parties get into power through my understanding of economics, analytical and statistical skills, I will once again urge the engineers at ZRL to do what is right for the company.

At present moment Zambia Railways is losing too much money. While I was there we planned to carrying 90,000 tonnes of cargo a month, but in reality the company is carrying far much less and will not meet the target we set ourselves of carrying 1.1 million tonnes in this financial year.

On passenger part the company is losing much more a month and not US$70,000 which is publicised in the media. These losses are unsustainable and the crucifixion of the ZRL vision that I put in place means the only way for the company is to go down the pan rather than growth.

ZRL is currently making money based on the market I developed. There are no new major clients who have come on board. The only mining company that is working with ZRL is KCM whom I brought on board.

The major contracts that are there up to now are those that I signed. I was at Zambia Railways for 3 working months only and the work I put in is equivalent to many years.

It has now been 4 months since I left and little has changed in terms of customer base and therefore the fruits being enjoyed are mine with the dedicated work force I used to have.

Appeal to New Management

I therefore plead to the new management to use my plans in implementing the rehabilitation programme. I suggested rehabilitating the existing line in 6 to 8 months of implementation after every material is in place and ready to be used. To achieve that the line rehabilitation would have been worked on in nine modules with a lot of job creations. Contractors would have been engaged as conduits to employing many young people as apprentices.

Tendered suppliers would have been spread more to allow competition and reduce cost. The current monopoly of one contracted company supplying say concrete sleepers will never yield results in even two years of the proposed new plan developed later after my departure. We needed to have minimum two concrete sleeper manufacturers in Zambia.

The one we have has no capacity. For rails we needed to promote our Kafue steel company by engaging it more, etc. The short 6 to 8 months duration in rehabilitation was meant for two reasons, to reduce or to eradicate the number of derailments that are very high and cost a lot of money sometimes equal to a monthly haulage target on one part.

We cannot afford to have more derailments. We cannot take derailments as norm because in other countries where this happens once in a blue moon it’s a criminal offence. On the other part we needed quick rehabilitation so that we increase the train speed soonest and improve transit time hence more revenue, while the cost is minimised.

We also planned for a think-tank that would have been responsible for continuous stock of engineers and artisans from colleges. Here too we would have seen a cluster of supply chains with more job creations making products to be assembled on Zambian designed rolling stock and locomotives.

To facilitate this, a design studio was proposed that possessed unique skills supported by the Railway Institute that was supposed to be at the Copperbelt University. All is not lost if my vision is implemented albeit in parts.

Conclusion

From me, I would like to wish the new management good luck in the rehabilitation programme and please use the Euro Bond US$120 million wisely. Do not crucify my vision since it is the only credible plan that will bring ZRL to become a profitable and self sustaining company while making Zambia proud.

151 COMMENTS

    • Its a pity that short sighted and greedy people thwarted such a brilliant vision.Its really sad that people do not think of future generations.why should a few individuals in the truck business with ‘Presidential favour ‘ hold Zambia back from developing.Zambia has a brilliant central location and having infrastructure like modern railway systems could have taken our background country forward and helped to make Zambia a force to reckon with in the region. Sata/MMembe /Nchito 1:0 Zambia

    • It is so sad that these F*ckers people like Fred Mweembe are holding own to development coz of their selfish business interests in the Trucks. Who doesn’t know that Fred Mweembe has gone into the Trucking business and now controlling Sata to give him contracts. So sad, we’ll never develop here in Africa coz we have a lot of selfish people at the helm of things

    • Much as chirwa was a victim. chirwa helped his enemies or the group he is calling anti development to push him out. Chirwa had a great vision but his vision was not inclusive,, for the project to have been worked,, i think he needed to assemble a group of specialised engineers and other experts in order to make his vision a reality,, but chirwa want to go it one man show, that was his mistake.

    • People learn to open your eyes. It seems we never learn anything despite repeated experiences with uncredible characters. Chirwa is an opportunist who has flirted with anyone to try and curve out a “landing pad” in Zambia. He started with MMD, UPND and then PF. That alone is the first question on his integrity. With this ZRL, he says he gave up everything in the UK for Zambia but I think he was gaining more than he ever dreamt. He has failed to mention his suspected corruption in trying to use his defunt family business at ZRL, wanting to sit on supply panels and most of all walking away with 25% of a public company in just 5yrs. K72m rentals a month and 10% cuts do not sound like “giving” to me. Articles like this can be written by anyone n the Post can even copy n paste…

    • Just hold on Prof. It’s merely a matter of time that you will get back your well deserved Job.

      What happened to me a blessing in disguise as you would have been an excellent seed among the rotten ones. Just hold on Doc, it’s a matter of time.

    • The plan is ok 4 sure if it can be done, its really a great development , but was he able to do it?, if one should analyse this, you only find exageration, liars boasting and hatred.he was interviewed and we saw his style of living and he now wants to polish his spoiled image,no! he says that ”while people in Zambia were celebrating Christmas and New Year” , do u even need to say that? you simply do your job, this man came to get even the little we have in zambia , saying it was not even equivalent to what he was making in Europe, he wanted to have about 20 percent shares RSZ, he lived in a hotel, wen he knw RSZ was losing a lot of money, he maybe professor, interlligent, educated but there is also pride in him which has brought him down. i dont even count on him anymore as…

    • I am of the opinion that the project was far too ambitious. One thing is building a railway Network of this caliber, maintaining it and running it at a profit is another story! You only have to look at Tazara, its never made money!

  1. This proffessor deserves respect. Well done proffessor. The railway porter (chola boy) satana hates this country thus anything that develops this country he will be against. A lot of selfish pipo left MMD and joined pathetic fo-ools, including satan as the founder himself. PF was founded on hatred. That’s the reason mr Mazoka was poisioned and killed; hatred.

  2. Well said Prof! Anyway, with time these political garbage and truck owners with no international exposure, who lack innovation will soon be phased out. Never lose your vision Prof because, like any dream it has to go through fire and tested before it is realised. We have too many tunnel vision Zambians in places of influence that to penetrate certain areas is difficult. But please keep on believing in a better Zambia, made by Zambians like you who make Zambia proud. I don’t think any of these political parties have the calibre to implement your plans at the moment going by how they address important government issues. But time will eventually phase them out.

    • As long as the system allows this – these political garbage and truck owners will NEVER change they will just take turns with every new party that comes into power…as they say “it will be their turn to eat” – if they likes of Fred M’membe can form a haulage firm today and land a billion kwacha contract tomorrow with gov’t what does that say.

  3. I hate the PHD syndrome. I prefer a guy who can eat and deliver to one who eat and not deliver.We the people lost out in this saga

    • @Supernova
      I beg to disagree that there is PHD syndrome. Having read the article I can’t see anything out of the ordinary. Infact I could have done it differently with a focus on providing mining transportation to generate income for future expansion. I’d leave the Mpulungu, Chipata as the last phase to be paid for by ZRL once the mines are using the line with passengers suppplimenting. Lumwana or Solwezi to Chingola wud b in phase two and I’d also engage the existing mining investors to invest as they are bound to benefit from the development. The plan has to be revenue focussed n not just grand plans that cost money which seems to be the case. So perhaps those (except Mm’membe) critised had basis to n not just PHD. Let’s not be blinded by the “professor” title. Chirwa was nothin…

    • One of the problems in Zambia is that people are full of Ideas, but not many are implementing them! PHD Syndrome? I am of the opinion that work ethic is more important than qualifications……… Zambians are obsessed with diplomas and phds!

  4. This is what happens when ignorant cadres take control of economic and development projects it is intellectuals who suffer. You can’t talk sense to fools mr Chirwa they might not grasp it. Good lucky!

    • I agree! This professor is self centered and all he wanted was to bulldoze the refurbishment of ZR all by himself so that in future he can claim all the credits to himself! He is not a good leader and team-player. In such a project, one need to start from the scratch with the help of other experts and embrace team-work. In a country like Zambia, the “I” syndrome can advance one to spearhead such a huge project. Lost opportunity for the Professor, 😀

    • Kwena sure, wat do u ve yrself to paint others lyk that. If he ws doing it, hw did u wanty him to present himself, as “U did it”, “they did it”. Even after reading sure u can stil think bak wards – u cudnt even see sense but concetrated on identifyng unmattering substances. Get yr A** cleaned mzee.

    • Do you want him to use ‘We’ instead of ‘I’ when the reality is that he indeed developed the plan alone? I took note of the use and ‘I’ and ‘we’ in the article and it was used appropriately to denote activities in which he was personally involved and in which others were involved respectively

    • In development terms, the WE is made up of brilliant “I”s. Zambia seem not to have enough “I” in them the reason why we are behind. Dont be ashamed to say I, when you are good. It is your engenuity that brings the we. After success, you can claim the we to acknowledge others who will have contributed to your success. Chirwa’s vision – the I part, has been cut short. So the WE part has not come in yet…!

      It is a shame we will not even come closer to realizing what this man had envisioned.

    • Don’t lie. Prof is talking about the vision he had for our railway company. How do you expect him to mention your name in his analysis of things and the final appeal? Chirwa does not do “false humility”.

    • @cacius
      martin luther was a pastor and prof Chirwa is an engineer… An ZRL project needed/needs prof chirwa to lead a group engineers of different specialised disciplines and other supporting experts (he would done well with a task team just for that project) not one man show… hence `we` word,, thats why he failed,,

    • @ cacius, it wan’t even Martin Luther who said “I have a dream” (unless maybe to his wife at breakfast in the 1500s?), but Martin (Luther) King.

      In any case, I’m pretty sure one of the last things MLK would have done is to claim “ownership” of the dream and would have been among the first to say he was speaking for others…. for a generation, for a nation, for a race, and for the world!

      Do you really mean to put the “distinguished” professor Chirwa in the same league as Martin Luther King? Should we name a public holiday for Chirwa?

      Maybe…. Clive is such a self-promoter he more or less puts himself in the same league as Jesus by claiming to be “crucified”.

    • You anti-development sloth, why don’t you just keep your unexposed sluggish English language to yourself? What the hell are you looking for in this intellectual?

  5. We knew, that once all was out, individual corrupt interests would have been the reason this great plan was torpedoed. Some selfish crooks have their “Goose that’s laying them Golden eggs” & they would rather enrich themselves, as result leaving Zambia in the Stone age. Look @ our current Rotten rail stock & infrastructure. Zambia unlike other regional nations does Not need War to keep us Backwards. We have “Zambians” to do that. Whatever the truth, the day of judgement will come!

    • It is said, “do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces

  6. DEAR DR CLIVE CHIRWA,

    With due respect, I advise you to lick your wounds quietly and find yourself a job. If you are really a distinguished engineer with an international business acumen (itself a meaningless statement for a professor who has spent a long time in England the land of the English language!!), what are you doing in Zambia trying to justify your relevance instead of getting a new and even better job. The truth is that you have no where to go, because you are not a distinguished engineer and neither are your business skills worth any song. We know your so-called University in the UK and I advise you to shut up about it. Overall, my judgement is that your display of desparation and shocking cerebral ineptitude is uncharacteristic of a repuatable engineering professor!

    • Don’t you think your time and effort would have been better placed commenting or critiquing his paper above and by so doing proving that he is not worthy?

    • C’mon, the guy is already teaching at CBU, away from those Lusaka greeds. Of course he’s doing it as a hobby…certainly not for the money.

    • Mulupa – Now show us that you’re worth more than your Std 2 boss.

      You seem as though your level of thinking is similar to Ukwa.

    • I can notice a Mr. Mulupa is trying to be somewhat bitter in his response…serving his own interest too, shame on you!!!!

      For a man to be distinguished in the west it means he’s at a very high par,even is pro Chirwa.

      The man has had done a number of credible inventories you are not even ware of.
      Fly around then come and set a thick line of distinction between yourself & prof Chirwa.

      Whats wrong with an ”I” he used in his writings when it was his plan, wholly?

    • How do you think european countries such as the UK developed? It’s because they believe in their own people. Zambian companies such as Zambia airways had their own engineers working on their aircrafts, thank god that plane never crashed. I would rather put my money on Prof Chirwa’s plan even if it the end result was just one modern railway line. The amount of money wasted by our government on extravagance is criminal. Prof Chirwa injected a new sense of self belief and if this government is serious about developing our railways then they should swallow their pride and get people with experience to develop our railways.Railways are a life blood to any successful economy.

    • Should he do that? While his salary was higher in the UK than it was in Zambia? Try get another job, they are already calling him back to his job. This being more of PHD still than a blogger with such comments can see!

    • In my view, from the begining this man should have been engaged as a Senior Consultant at ZRL and not MD. A substantive MD should have been employed to manage the day to day activities of ZRL including its relationship with the Board.

  7. Thy plans seems credible. The problem was your stake, that which you wanted to chew from the company. Thats why even board members started emulating you on how to get a lion’s share. If only your greediness did not surface too early, your good engineering plans could have worked have worked well for the country. Learn to sacrifice more for the country before sweep stakes from the struggling company. Eating from profit would have been smarter but eating seed money is no brainer. You were too ambitious and good as it may you straight away targeted immidiate gain before your plans worked. No wonder your board members were watching you eagerly and they ended up with a lot of sittings and thus claiming sitting allowances. Extravagance was displayed too early. Byebye old team.

    • Floyd, these still being allegations cannot hold as reasons to substantiate a contribution. What helps is to genuinely examine why his appointment failed, because his ideas still stand and will be utilised by ZRL I bet you.

      Zambia is not fairground for ideas, everyone knows that. Our non aligned yet socialistic approaches have sown seeds of discontent for ant any individual hardworking! Yet any developed economies keep poaching our individualistic brains to utilise them for the good of all.

  8. Well said Prof! i would rather you put your plans as a Principle @ the moment & let others do the work whilst you maintain your daily job(Bread)

  9. I said it yesterday under the ‘sikota wina recount of early days in govt’ and this is what is happening. The truth is that zambia was not ready to run it own affairs and move the country forward. Our old guys must have been shocked that we were granted independence without a war, hence the song Kaunda won the war with words only. The way forward is that let go back to the British and ask for forgiveness as clearly, this article demonstrates that tuli mashilu. Let them run this country as a partnership with our political geniuses like Munkombwe etc being responsible for overseeing cultural initiation ceremonies at district levels. Why is it that whatever a zedian touches filoonauka? Even you reading this now, ask yourself what positive things have you done the last week alone-Nil.

  10. Mulupa stop being cadash. Read what this man has written and digest it. Does it make sense or not. In my views this is is a very good arguement. I support you Prof Chirwa. Don’t give up and stop listerning these cadres. It is matter of time. One day your ideas will work. Continue communicating your ideas to the Nation. This is what we want. Why not try to join Enock Kavindele’s projects? May be once the doubting Thomas see something they will believe you. But you should be modest and demand little. Let the results be seen first.

    I wish all the best Prof. Chirwa.

    • @Kavuyi – how can you see the results first without investing. This man was prevented from executing the plans because of corrupt minds from those called board of directors. You need money to implement the plans. We as a zambia have as usual been robbed of infrastructure that would have opened up other businesses using the rail. Worlwide, engineers and researcher create wealth for the nations but in zambia, its the politicians jobs to connive with book keepers like prof saasa to create wealth. What a joke. When did book keepers created anything.

    • @KAVUYI – You Zambians deserve all the suffering you go through in life because you are so dumb! 50 years since independence have not changed you. May you be blessed with a longer list of conmen like Chirwa for life. It seems in Zambia all one needs to be worshipped like God is to sound and look like a leopard in sheep-skin….Zambians don’t ask intelligent questions and can be duped by anybody.
      First of all, even the quality of this article is questionable: if Chirwa as professor this is the c.r.a.p he can produce then he deserves no respect from me. Secondly, I have never met a desparate professor in my life and whatever you mangwams say I’m presently reading for my professorship at one of the top 3 universities in the UK. Chirwa is a conman, whether you believe his c.r.a.p or not.

  11. The rail infrastructure in zed is old and there was no way to compete with say Botswana, which was a village just 20 yrs ago. This is what happens when trained graduates don’t want to work for the nation but rather for their belly and extra concubines around towns. Why didn’t they support such plans? Because they wanted to eat the eggs from the nest before they hatched and still expect to see the birds? What a shame to have people who behave like inda shapa ujeni – they are vicious and blood suckers. Prof Chirwa, please come back as the UK govt has just approved the cool fast rail trucks between London and Manchester. Like before, they will certainly need your services. Don’t waste time naba konto.

    • Much as chirwa was a victim. chirwa helped his enemies or the group he is calling anti development to push him out. Chirwa had a great vision but his vision was not inclusive,, for the project to have been worked,, i think he needed to assemble a group of specialised engineers and other experts in order to make his vision a reality,, but chirwa wanted to go it one man show, that was his mistake.

  12. we can do wonders all we need is a leader who think social, economically, and diplomatically not the over political rule that we have wanting power at all coast even to the point of staving his brothers don’t blame him some heartless bazungu are thinking for him who have no relatives in zambia

  13. It’s a shame how our country can not move forward due to greed. I would like to get in touch with the Professor. I would like to learn more on this project and share some of my own thoughts.

    • Yaba wansekesha zoona, mwandi some of these events in Zambia are depressing mweh. Just when you get a little hope some politicians and Anti development goons bring you back to Zero. How i wish the Prof was given a chance, it would have opened many doors to the think tanks in the Diaspora but ALAS!!

  14. Fisenge, you are an *****. Sata is the one who asked Prof. Chirwa to come and help revamp the railway sector and not that he was against him. fuc.k u. you shud read between the lines.

  15. Ba prof, firstly i could not believe that you agreed to work with pama fi. These are crooks that are out there to rape zambia. I thot u knew that. Secondly ba Prof mwanama, Namibia dont have electrified railway lines do another research. You just waisted yo time n got yo reputation crewed

  16. ”Do not crucify my vision since it is the only credible plan that will bring ZRL to become a profitable and self sustaining company while making Zambia proud”….I have a problem with people that think like that,your presentation @ Govt house left more people (Technocrats) doubt your vision.You are not the only exposed person in zambia like you want to portray.Move on your CBU job quietly baba.

  17. The problem was the board. personally i have found locally trained professionals to be very shallow and lack focus! No wonder u have UNZA students who think university of kalingalinga is the best in the world. with that kind of brains Zambia is not going anywhere. They have frustrated the efforts of a brilliant professor for nothing!!! whats really wrong with this country!!!!!??? Foreign trained professionals are not here to compete with u fools but just want to see a better zambia.

  18. You need to have a certain level of Education and Exposure to appreciate the dream Prof Chirwa had for the country. Some of you will die without seeing the inside of an Electric train, not even on TV coz ZNBC only brings movies from a Philipino village. #smh

  19. Pro Chirwa clearly needs to work on his communication skills. As a professor, surely he should know that having an idea or a vision is only 50% of the job. The other 50% is communication, i.e. how you successfully sell your idea/plan to others by creating win-win scenarios. He should also know better than to beat his own drum too much. Let other people call you ‘distinguished’ after they have seen your completed work, not you yourself.

    • @Cactus – you sound like a book keeper without knowledge how infrastructure projects works. From your writing, its clear you have not understood the article. The Prof sold his vision and how the project was going to be financed at cheaper rates, rather than using taxpayers from zed. He is called distinguished by international journals for his contribution to the engineering world. whats wrong with that? Don’t be like accountants/book keepers or lawyers whose sole purpose is to theorize and screw the community. Add value to the society you live in.

    • Dear Ichikupempula. I am a time-served and qualified Mechanical Engineer. Thats why I have made these observations in Pro Chirwas presentations. I realise you are not.

    • Did he communicate? Or he is just stating that he communicated. May be he is not an effective communicatorand that could have cost his vvision,or ideas

    • You seem to belong to a majority of our fellow citizens that Instead of seeing a HALF FULL GLASS would rather see it HALF EMPTY.

      I truly doubt you a Mechanical Engineer, or is it that you studied Mechanical Engineering. Now those are 2 different Scenarios.

      It’s like saying Wynter Kabimba is a Lawyer, he could have studied Law but is definitely not a Lawyer.

    • CACTUS – You seem to belong to a majority of our fellow citizens that Instead of seeing a HALF FULL GLASS would rather see it HALF EMPTY.

      I truly doubt you a Mechanical Engineer, or is it that you studied Mechanical Engineering. Now those are 2 different Scenarios.

      It’s like saying Wynter Kabimba is a Lawyer, he could have studied Law but is definitely not a Lawyer.

    • Cactus, Chirwa didn’t have to sell the idea to anyone else apart from the appointing or hiring authority, Informing the public was only a matter of courtesy. Has the current management given you & other nutters their vision??? yet you cry foul of Chirwa who did so! You call yourself an Engineer – an engineer in what???? Even a housewife can call herself “an Engineer in Domestic affairs!!”

  20. I said it even b4 dat enermies of de poor can’t buy into de Pro’s vision.l too said dose in transport wouldn’t want de vision 2 become a reality bcoz they re bloody greed and crookered.2 opo don’t even say anything about dis 4 that’s wat u wanted.

  21. Petty jealous, envy and ill-wish are the real problems contributing to ‘the backwardness of the country’ nearly half a century after independence. There are people who do not want to see others succeed and contribute to the well-being of the country and were determined to bring Pro Chirwa down. That is why many Zambians would rather use their skills and make a decent living elsewhere in the Diaspora.

  22. I am an Engineer and I am trying to understand the graphic presentation above. Is this Lusaka plan? What are those huge buildings in the background occupying? Offices? Thats alot of office space. Or are they Workshops?

    • good questions!!! those are the questions Sata should have asked before buying into chirwa`s vision…
      just to add on to your list of questions… is there enough ground space to house that development?

    • Plenty ground space to accommodate this plan. Just go round town and look at the area that was earmarked for such infrastructure development above ground. Prof’s ideal was to have major Infrastructure underground.

    • @oldrugsout
      Am not an engineer myself but an artist, i can use my artistry desgining skills here. if you look at lusaka rail stations and other rail stations in the country you will notice that are all in linear arrangement and structurally not connected to other transport forms… talk a look a park station jo,burg , RSA, they have an intergated transport system to have an idea of what am talking about.,, and an electric train system will not make sense without an intergated transport plan in zambia….
      On ground space i can assure its not enough,, alot of zambia railways land has been encroached, lusaka is even worse..
      @cactus has good and right questions.. …

    • Cactus you must be a very dull engineer, from Copperstone University. a product of UNZA or CBU can not display such mediocrity in public. chi colur chobe

    • the problem is u think wit ur asses! there is plenty of land in and around lusaka CBD. infact another possibility was to relocate the main station to the outskirts of town.

    • @grand
      i wont insult you back…but the possiblity of relocation says alot about ground space.

      Just check yourself again if you are normal, you insult a person then in a way you agree with the person you insulting

    • That’s just a graphic display for presentation purposes only what type of engineer are you? You should be asking about the design of that locomotive if you really had an engineer’s eye for detail.

    • They can be offices and other businesses renting.have you ever been on an electric train before.tell us your ideas so that we critic them.

  23. indeed chirwa is right and he ha the right vision. but let us not forget to say this ambitious plan was also confounded by his won personal desires to benefit from the process.

    chirwa did, infact, crucify what he, himself, envisioned.

    there always must be separation between corporate management and self ambition especially when you are talking about so much money which I must pay tax to pay back.

    God bless mother zambia

  24. Prof,Clive Chirwa,a man of your profession do not cry like babies in the streets of chibolya! Take it that this is your part of your failed CV upgrade.Your research on Botswana having an electric train is a trash.botswana does not have an electric train.Already you have exposed your igniorance to me.

  25. Those close to me would recall what I said when Prof. Chirwa accepted the job and presented his ambitious plan. I said, “poor man, he will certainly be frustrated and put to shame very soon”. Even some of the bloggers who are now sounding sympathetic to the prof. were so vile in their language when the “pulling down” started. HH earned the title of “calculator boy” by being very articulate in his early years as President of UPND. The same thing is happening to NAREP President just as it also happened to ADD President. The civil servants, though well educated, trained and highly exposed (foreign travel), are mostly not kin to try new ideas because they are very highly politicised and fear for their jobs in case of failure. We need an innovation-friendly system.

  26. You haters, the Prof is at CBU already as a research professor. He is fine with all the retirement money from ZRL.

  27. With respect to all the board members and Prof chirwa and mr. president, be action oriented. if nothing happens, we don’t see any change, we wont hear any stories. you will face the consequences.

    regards

  28. Prof. Chirwa may sound cocky but let’s be honest the man is so intelligent and probably the best hope ZRL had for resuscitation. How many engineers has Zambia produced that we can equate to him? People opposed his plans because his plans were dynamic and different but that’s what this country needs if we are going to develop. Development comes with never seen before ideas; Imagine Zambia being the first African country with a rail line that has never been seen before in Africa or in the world? Sounds off but those are the things developmental is made of. Chriwa is right and we are all wrong!!!

  29. With this kind of treatment to Prof Clive most Zambians in the diaspora can not be attracted to come home and help develop this country.
    This is happening in most parastals in this country, ill qualified people with lack of exposure are left to to run the show. Some do even declare false profits to please politicians at the expense of transprency and development. They also bost they are untoucheable, wot a shame……

    • Just hold on Prof. Help is on the way. It’s merely a matter of time that you will get back your well deserved Job. We need to see real development and personally want you to be part of that development.

      What happened to me a blessing in disguise as you would have been an excellent seed among the rotten ones. Just hold on Doc, it’s a matter of time.

  30. IMAGINE YOURSELF REPORTING TO UKWA. HE’S A GRADE 2 DROPOUT AND HAS NO CLUE WATSOEVER.

    Just hold on Prof. Help is on the way. It’s merely a matter of time that you will get back your well deserved Job. We need to see real development and personally want you to be part of that development.

    What happened to me a blessing in disguise as you would have been an excellent seed among the rotten ones. Just hold on Doc, it’s a matter of time.

  31. ZAMBIAN bloggers?? Typical bring him Down syndrome. We should learn to be articulate with what we contribute. Facts are that as a Country we will lose lots of opportunities if we don’t change. Chirwa might have made mistakes, but did he deserve to be pushed out? at the expense of poor Zambians?? A lot went wrong starting from the President himself. It should be a lesson to SATA not to get involved in Recruiting CEOs. He has a lot more to do as a head of state. Brother Chirwa, if you have love for Zambia, you can help / advise new management execute your Plans. No bad feelings and God will always bless you abundantly. Great piece of article.

  32. Mulupa….., stick to the issue. The man is a distinguished professor period. Just advise how he should have done it if at all you have any idea in engineering. He may have made mistakes, point them out. We move on.

  33. Sata needs to know that we will Investigate up to the last cent the $750million Euro Bond. That he should take lightly.

    Everyone in this government will pay back with Interest anything which they will have believed to have stolen, and that’s a promise.

  34. You Zambians deserve all the suffering you go through in life because you are so dumb! 50 years since independence have not changed you. May you be blessed with a longer list of conmen like Chirwa for life. It seems in Zambia all one needs to be worshipped like God is to sound and look like a leopard in sheep-skin….Zambians don’t ask intelligent questions and can be duped by anybody.
    First of all, even the quality of this article is questionable: if Chirwa as professor this is the c.r.a.p he can produce then he deserves no respect from me. Secondly, I have never met a desparate professor in my life and whatever you mangwams say I’m presently reading for my professorship at one of the top 3 universities in the UK. Chirwa is a conman, whether you believe his c.r.a.p or not. Shocking!

    • Firstly, you can’t read professorship! Secondly, professors ask questions towards a study, rather than put up ideas to another professors research.

  35. PHD and defeatist mentally is the burden pulling this country backwards. It would have been better to give Chirwa “enough rope to hang” himself with his plans some of you say are utopian. Unlike most of us, including some of the Zambian Professors who have trained so many engineers but never bothered to find out what those engineers are doing after leaving university, Prof Chirwa had the courage to “leave the shore and discover oceans”. Most of us are like ships that feel safe in the port yet they are meant to be on even the roughest of seas. If you want to live with your old ideas do not become a stumbling block to progressive minds. I hope Prof Chirwa will one day have another chance to implement his ideas for mother Zambia.

  36. What a pity for Zambia. People play politics with people’s lives, and Prof is right, its educated people and truck owners and political garbage messing us up.

  37. Fellow Zambian’s, this is the mediocrity that we should not allow to continue.

    Ukwa has no plan for this Country, he needs to go out please.

  38. In my books President Sata and his PF government were spot on about firing Chirwa. He is a time-wasting wanna-be full of himself. What I find dangerous is just how he can write such tripe and assume that all Zambians will believe him? By writing this “me, me, & ONLY me!” article, Chirwa is displaying clear symptoms of a narcissistic personality disorder and needs psychological counselling before he does something drastic. I know you most Zambians worship narcissists, out of ignorance. Mr Sata’s government are right to kick Chirwa out. Full stop. We don’t have to go through again the whole list of the ridiculous things he did when he was ZR MD – everybody knows them, so to find some people still ignoring all that is very worrying. Wake up.

    • We do not want dragsters like you Mr. Mulupa…

      Chirwa is so much an elite than an associate prof…

      Excellent achievements.

  39. When people from the diaspora try to get something going pa zed their is resistance people back home can frustrate, their are many examples prof chirwa, kalusha etc the list is long we need to harmonize our relationship we all have a heart for mother Zambia

    • There is no partriotism over mediocrity. I’m in the diaspora, BUT promoting nutheads like Chirwa spoils it for all other diaspora people because for us who know him we know that he will not deliver!! That is why I thank Mr Sata for quickly seeing the nonsense that Chirwa is and kicking him out. Chirwa is a conman, but knowing Zambians it will take 20 years before they realise how much money he was going to gain from this pie-in-the-sky so-called plan for ZR and not deliver on his promise. If Chirwa was that good, he would probably be working for British government and earning 100-times what ZR was paying him. I’m saying this because the railways industry in the UK is currently undergoing major rehab and they could use somebody like him. But truth is, in the UK they know he is c.r.a.p!

    • Ba Mulupa
      Get your facts straight…. Chriwa worked as a consultant on Britain’s current £30 billion HS2 project…are you telling me if he was a conman the British would have asked for his services?

  40. The moment he accepted the president’s invitation was the beginning of the end for him as far as he was concerned his employer was State House not the board, coupled with his ego he was not going to go anywhere….yes “the crabs in a bucket” mentality is common in Zambia BUT the professor was also partly to blame for his downfall – who embarks on a $1.5 billion gov’t project WITHOUT carrying out a single feasibility study? Chriwa should have also negotiated his salary based on performance if he had so much faith in his project you can’t expect to be paid FTSE 100 CEO salary when the ZRL is insolvent.
    Professor I supported your project but sadly from your article you are still in denial and you have not learned anything from your “very productive” six months in Zambia.

  41. I draw courage from a saying that “I am not a failure because i’m not yet dead”
    Prof. you’ve done a good job offering such a great plan to Zambia but since we have rejected it, why don’t you have it intellectually protected then sell it to another country so that we (Zambia) can learn the hard way?

  42. While l appreciate your effort and intellect, you forget dearly that Zambia has corporate governance issues to follow.

  43. Just reading this article gives me a picture of a BRILLIANT ENGINEER trying to BETTER HIS COUNTRY!!! DON’T STOP!!! Keep it up Professor Chirwa!!! One day Zambians will wake up from their SLUMBER!!! By the way your VISION Sir…..it was TOO BIG for MOST Zambians, let alone cadres, calling themselves Politicians….they are used to MEDIOCRITY, LIP SERVICE and CORRUPTION, SHORT TERM PLANS, ENDLESS WORKSHOPS………GOD WILL HELP US!!!

  44. Chirwa can you PLS stop this last kicks of a dying Horse!! the issue at hand is that you were CAUGHT stealing and ravaging the national resources!! with so much greed at your hands…in other words you are so vexed because you were interrupted from achieving and accumulate your intended target of money you aimed to steal from ZRL. As much as i have no questions with your qualifications or so, there is a big question on your integrity and honesty….PLS i would rather you exculpate yourself concerning the theft and corruption rather than outlining some stereotype engineering jargon . We as a nation are not that stupid in case you developed that thought whilst in Bolton.

  45. There is no partriotism over mediocrity. I’m in the diaspora, BUT promoting nutheads like Chirwa spoils it for all other diaspora people because for us who know him we know that he will not deliver!! That is why I thank Mr Sata for quickly seeing the nonsense that Chirwa is and kicking him out. Chirwa is a conman, but knowing Zambians it will take 20 years before they realise how much money he was going to gain from this pie-in-the-sky so-called plan for ZR and not deliver on his promise. If Chirwa was that good, he would probably be working for British government and earning 100-times what ZR was paying him. I’m saying this because the railways industry in the UK is currently undergoing major rehab and they could use somebody like him. But truth is, in the UK they know he is c.r.a.p!

    • Get your facts straight…. Chriwa worked as a consultant on Britain’s current £30 billion HS2 project…are you telling me if he was a conman the British would have asked for his services?

    • How can you thank Sata for kicking him out when it was Sata who messed up and called him instead of advertising the vacancy. Are you also thanking him for giving him a generous retirement package for 6 months work when ZRL pensioners have not been paid? Are you going to thank Sata again for appointing the current stooge at ZRL when he is kicked out, when the job should have been advertised?

  46. UNZA could also benefit from the same expertise. Is it possible to obtain a joint appointment? This can be a Part Time position in Engineering. Or something to that effect. Secondly, Storm and Thunder is commonplace here in Africa. It has a lot to do with Environment. Here trees often hide forests. One needs to stick to basics despite currents. ZRL belongs to all Zambians and each demand needs to be addressed. Some of the demands are completely misplaced. That is exactly where proving becomes a necessity rather than luxury. Proving the obvious can be hard, but it is possible. For instance, if one is Livingstone with Hotel Records and Receipts, it possible to prove that one is not in Kapiri Mposhi and vice versa.

  47. Wa la sa. Tell them!

    Mbuya, some of us would rather live in the first World, SA UK.

    Why move around with a shoe brush in a jacket just because of dust in the City of Lusaka?

  48. Mark chona and professor saasa are the most myopic Zambians ever to walk this earth. They were more interested in allowances than seeing Zambia develop. To Professor Chirwa I say: DON’T GIVE WHAT IS SACRED TO DOGS. This speaks volumes.

  49. Sob sob sob.
    President Sata appointed you. Who made him do it?
    President Sata disappinted you. Who made him do it?

  50. I have huge problems with engineers who are ego centric. Computer generated things are ideals. What are those huge buildings for? Waiting rooms, bathrooms, offrices? Building a railway system better than in South Africa was a utopian and didn’t make a lot of sense. Mr Clive Chirwa should have talked of a railway system closer to what South Africa has done what with rkecent world cup therein which brought a lot of infrastructural chnage in the railway, road and airport networks. The professor is a bg time lair and thief going by his stint at the helm of railway system in Zambia!

    • So what you are saying is Zambia is unable to undertake a project bigger than RSA? This is why the whole idea of a sunk station was difficult for most people like you to envisage as you’ve only visited one “developed” country and its RSA.

  51. Zambia doctors, nurses, heart surgeons, road engineers are working in the first world, they will never consider working for UTH or Zambian institutions because the whole country is polluted with the Saasa and Chona mentality. Can such a country ever climb the innovation index? Can such a country ever attract its own talent working abroad in world class institutions? is there hope for Zambian engineering?

  52. WHEN RESPONDING TO ALL THIS DIATRIBE BY CHIRWA YOU CAN’T HELP USING SOME OF MPOMBO’S VOCABULARY SUCH AS topsy-turvy STRATEGY BY CHIRWA, CHIRWA’S dexterities AND HIS ECONOMIC cauldron. I WOULD ADVISE CHIRWA TO SEEK POLITICAL INDUCTION TO GET TO WHERE HE ASPIRES TO BE EVENTUALLY. CBU IS A GOOD START ANYWAY

  53. A similar problem has happened before whereby an engineer from ZCCM took a study on the Chingola open pit mine. He went and studied a similar open pit mining projects in Chile which uses overhead lines to shift copper to processing plants. The project meant that ZCCM was going to get rid of monster trucks which swallowed nearly half the profits. It was said at the time that ZCCM was going to make huge profits. Nonetheless, sceptics like UNIP politicians argued that the move would lead to a reduction in work force at Nchanga by three quarters and make the government of the day unpopular . Proponents further argued that excess machinery could be used to build and maintain roads by GRZ. Losers who had their teeth in the ZCCM slice of the cake won the day and the project was shelved

    • All the way to Chile? Mamba Colliery had such a system (circa late 60’s) hauling coal from Mamba to the railway line in Choma.

    • Thanks Nhimbi most people think the further you travel in researching on an issue the better the solution. Maamba would have made a better case study

  54. ”By 5th January this year, on my birthday, I had completed all the mathematical designs and began computer simulations of the systems…”

    chirwa, was it a new invention or system ? why re-invent the wheel ? Unless it is a new invention, every thing is done already, just a matter of putting it together or maybe you mean tuma Microsoft power point simulations

  55. The Prof had brilliant ideas. Unfortunately, he lacked any idea of what cooperate governance is. He wanted to run a public company without consulting anyone, which doesn’t work anywhere in the world. Granted, he had a board that was equally clueless (they had 20 meetings in 6 months, which is a world record for a board, all because of allowances). Fighting the board in the press, and trying to implement those brilliant ideas without any approval from anyone is what led to the current situation. Prof, you are not entirely blameless here. Move on.

  56. Noticed that in Zambia we are afraid to do things alone but do it with assistance hence the “I” is scary but the “we” should be the one. Those truckers are thinking of themselves as “I” and not “we”. Here is a man who has come out and said he can do it but PHD and greediness is what drives most Zambians. It’s his Visions and not our vision. This man has exposure and experience, how many reading this are Professors, “FEW” most of them are those thinking in the negative and will always contribute negatively because they are thinking of themselves as in “I”. If Zambia gets developed today, they are going to say Zambia is developing and not Africa has developed.

  57. There is no “I” in Team the article i full of I this I that did he not consult??? Might explain why you not in the job zambians dont like fellos who come from abroad like mr know it all

  58. Ba Mulupa,
    You lack systematic thinking to arrive at an acceptable verdict.
    Excuse me, you may be a Bemba which compels me to conclude less is expected from you. Prof. Chirwa need not work for UK govt to convince you he has what it takes to revolutionize the ZRL running on colonial plans. As at now Zambians have never been informed of the alternative plan to what Prof. Chirwa has presented. Your Sata will never get an equivalent Zambian engineer to Chirwa and present a workable plan. Payments to Chirwa lies in the court of Sata who appointed him with a blank cheque and Chirwa responded with a contract agreed to by ZRL (Zambian govt.).

  59. I support your ideas. Theya re brilliant BUT i think you were too greedy sir, a huge package and 25% shares of the entire railway system after 5 years and another 25% after 10 years making it 50% in ten years and if another fifteen, then you would own the entire railway line. I think this is pure greedy honestly. Second, when seeking to work as a c=public servife worker, dont come in the name of politics, you8 can hurt yourself over and aover again. In civilised countries like Siouth Africa, which I would suggest ZAMBIA patterned with, the public service workers employed to run the rail systems have moved on to remove all old wagons by 2017. Strategy, they are building a factory to make the wagons locally with external support. Their goal is to upgrade their sytem and supply to the region

  60. Thanks for all your colorful responses at @28 to my earnest question ‘Is this Lusaka plan’ on the graphical presentation shown as designed by Pro Chirwa? THE IMAGE PRESENTED BY Pro CHIRWA IS COPY AND PASTE. Please have a look at the following site showing the exact same image and do your own checks and make your own conclusions ? w.w.w.id-mag.com/gallery/National-Express-Group-Brand-development/7929551

  61. Thanks for all your colourful responses at @28 to my earnest question ‘Is this Lusaka plan’ on the graphical presentation shown as designed by Pro Chirwa? THE IMAGE PRESENTED BY Pro CHIRWA IS COPY AND PASTE. Please have a look at the following site showing the exact same image and do your own checks and make your own conclusions —w.w.w. id-mag.com/galley/National-express-Group-Brand-developmant/7929551

    • And your point being? What if he asked for permission to use that picture? What if his intention was to use the same company in the photo to supply the locomotives? what if he helped design those trains?
      Whats wrong with you people always looking for negatives in everything…what part of “presentation purposes” don’t you understand?

    • @Jay-yay. First rule of Engineering: -Assume nothing, check everything. Now your questions:- What if he asked for permission to use that picture? Answer: -Then as a supposedly distinguished Engineer with international business acumen, he should acknowledge the source i.e. courtesy of so and so on the presentations to stakeholders of which I am one of. Simple as that. Its about ethics and integrity. What if his intention was to use the same company in the photo to supply the locomotives? Answer:- Then he should say so on the presentations, simple as that. What if..cont’d..

    • …cont’d What if he helped design those trains? Answer: – I am sure he did, in his area of proficiency, and that is precisely why he should not say ‘Me, Myself and I’ but be inclusive. In fact he should talk about synergy with other technocrats. What is wrong with you people always looking for negatives in everything? Answer: – Not looking for negatives. I am now beginning to wonder whether you know what critique is all about, especially on a technical paper? I asked only one simple question @28 and you laid an egg. No offence, Jay- jay maybe this is not a subject for you. End of story.

  62. What a loss, the saasas have never meant any good, Zambia is still poor today.pipo are still using ox-carts to ferry their produce,are we ever going to see the bullet train.or we continue with the marcopolos bought on nkongole.

  63. Self aggrandizing: The act or practice of enhancing or exaggerating one’s own importance, power, or reputation.
    “as a distinguished engineer with an international business acumen”
    “At this moment in time I was working 12 to 15 hours a day running the implementation plan in my head”
    “I have helped political parties get into power through my understanding of economics, analytical and statistical skills”
    ” I was at Zambia Railways for 3 working months only and the work I put in is equivalent to many years”
    “ZRL is currently making money based on the market I developed”

  64. Prof Chirwa’s dream is to become President of Zambia. However he perhaps needs to take political steps rather than technologocal steps towards this goal. In the article above he doesn’t sound like a Richard Branson but like a Machiavellan. He is so idiosyncratic he wouldn’t succeed in modern day business

  65. With all the comments posted. How I wish SATA and his fellow cadres are reading them so as to make promises be fulfilled.
    Zambians are gud at talking only! Ilelo nasumina!!

  66. wait until that underground station would have been filled with water during one of these serious January rains when it rains ‘hippos and elephants’ Lusaka like many towns in zambia have bad drainage systems. The thought of waiting for a an electric train with only my head above the water and swimming to get the last train to Chibolyasdale is quite hilarious. In London they say ‘mind the gap’ on the underground system whilst we would be like mind river as you disembark. We may never need an underground train station as we have a lot of overground – period! Guys here built the underground system as it were disused tunnels used during the great past wars as places of solace, hiding of children and women during these fierce wars! We need trams in Zambia. The population is too small to…

  67. Most Zambians are GREEDY…..look at the SO CALLED RICH ELITE…..HHs, GBMs, BYs…..do they DONATE to CHARITIES or ANY NOBLE CAUSES…..a RESOUNDING NO!!! So what would STOP Professor Chirwa from wanting to OWN shares in a company he helps BUILD..NOTHING!!! Most Zambians who have travelled definitely WISH they were born in another country because Zambia keeps going in CIRCLES and trying to reinvent the wheel instead of just learning from other countries which are already DEVELOPED!!! PRIDE makes people think they are better than they really are…..Most Zambians are PROUD BUT OF NOTHING!!! Professor Chirwa you are a BRIGHT ENGINEER but Zambians will NEVER ACCEPT YOUR VISION BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE THEIR LEADERS NAMES ON IT…..AT THE EXPENSE OF REAL DEVELOPMENT!!! COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK!!!

  68. its good that prof chirwa is a man of integrity and honesty to tell the zambian people and the world at large all the plans he had for the company,and still encourage the current c.e.o to work for benefit of the zambian people.on behalf of all zambia railways employees i say good lack and god bless you more than we expected and hop our new c.e.o can continue from were prof chirwa left eg increase our salaries and better our working conditions we are expecting a lot from our new c.e.o

  69. There is still hope for Professor Chirwa’s plan. Aspects of this can be implemented in stages:
    Firstly Import substitution. Building the locos, rolling stock track and electrification locally will reduce costs, poverty and increase skill and living standards.
    Then getting on with the job of electrification, which reduces costs and increases capacity without double tracking.
    As for the trucking and anti-development interests they can go and whistle.

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