Friday, March 29, 2024

ZAFICO takes over Kawambwa Tea Company

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The Kawambwa Tea Estate, which has always been a scene of sombre faces when one visits the place, was yesterday transformed into a scene of joy and celebrations.

This follows government’s announcement that it has chosen the Zambia Forestry and Forestry Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) to help the receiver, Felix Chisambo, to run the tea company.

Luapula Province Permanent Secretary (PS), Chanda Kasolo revealed that ZAFFICO will before the end of this month take over operations at the defunct Kawamabwa Tea Company as a Management Consultant.

ZANIS reports that the PS made the revelation when he met Kawambwa Tea Company workers.

He was accompanied by Kawambwa District Commissioner, Ivo Mpasa, Mwense District Commissioner, Victor Kasuba and Milenge District Commissioner, Mwita Kasengele.

The Permanent Secretary explained to the overjoyed employees that ZAFFICO will commence operations as soon as possible to prevent further deterioration of tea plants and equipment at the company.

Mr Kasolo said ZAFFICO will pay the workers all the salary arrears left behind by Khumal Holdings, which is a subsidiary of Gombe Holdings of Zimbabwe.

He assured the workers of continued employment at the tea company after the takeover of operations by ZAFFICO.

Mr Kasolo said ZAFFICO is determined to expand the estate from its current 400 hectares to double or three times of its size as the firm has already acquired land from Chief Mukanta for expansion purposes.

The PS also said government will ensure that equipment that was stripped off by Khumal Holding and sent to Zimbabwe in the pretext of taking them for repair are brought back at the tea company.

He said Khumal Holdings is also owing the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) for non-remittance of pension contributions, as well as ZESCO for electricity bills.

Mr Kasolo has also revealed that government will soon revamp the defunct Mununshi Banana Scheme and Mansa Batteries in Luapula Province.

And speaking earlier, Luena Ward Councillor, Wellington Mwewa, paid tribute to the Patriotic Front (PF) government for its hard work which is aimed at improving the livelihood of Zambians.

He said since the PF came into power, Kawambwa District has witnessed several developmental projects.

Mr Mwewa, who is also a worker at Kawambwa Tea Company, appealed to the PF government to avoid the mistake made by the MMD government of selling companies to firms he termed as parasites.

He said in the process of workers waiting for their unpaid salaries from Khumal Holdings, eleven of his colleagues have since died due to the suffering they went through.

Mr Mwewa said the taking over of Kawambwa Tea Company by ZAFFICO has brought joy to workers because it has come as liberation from the suffering that they have endured for the past ten years.

Another worker, Shitima Kunda, expressed happiness at the development and urged government to quicken the process of ZAFFICO taking over the running of the Tea Company.

She said as a result of the non-operation of the company, people in the area have gone through untold misery, adding that apart from those who have died children of the company employees have stopped going to school because of lack of money.

And James Nsama, another employee, appealed to Government to convince ZAFFICO to consider paying them a bigger chunk of their salary arrears.

Mr Nsama explained that the workers have become highly indebted in the period they have stayed without pay and giving them a few months pay will not have any effect as the money will all go towards settling the debts.

ZANIS

17 COMMENTS

  1. PF PLEASE TAKE IT EASY, YOU ARE BROKE! YOUR CREDIT WORTHNESS IS NOW NEGATIVE! YOU HAVE CHOWED ALL THE RESERVES. DONT DO THINGS BECAUSE OF A BYE-ELECTION AND THEN LEAVE PEOPLE HIGH AND DRY! DONT KUBEBA DOESNT WORK WHEN YOU ARE IN GOVERNMENT! VIVA CHIMBWI NO PLAN! AFTER ALL THAT IS HOPE!

  2. Titanic state!!more unplanned and budgeted for activities ask Dr Musokotwane now , this is not gd news coz there is no budget for such. we need people with modern education to help zed. KEEP CALM and PLAN ZED.

  3. KTC is a business treat it like one, this company has potential to compete with the mighty Malawian and Kenyan African teas when its packaged as a niche product on the international market. What does Zambia Forestry and Forestry Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) know about running a business, where is it going to get the funds from….sale me this company for £1 and I can deliver profit and growth within 48 months.

  4. u had UBZ, ZAMBIA AIRWAYS, what happened??? this is jst take over, now u need money and kanongobility, not CNP type this a nations with 13m hopeless people.

  5. Great move … furtherstill, GRZ needs to find strategic partners to market Mununshi Banana, Mansa Batteries and Kawambwa Tea. These are huge gold mines neglected mainly because of luck of exposure. The smart people of the Zambian Enterprise deserve better.

    Bananas are big business, batteries are a trillion dollar business especially with the advent of electric and hybrid cars, tea remains a bread and butter industry that created 2 of the world’s current billionaires … Zambia has God-given potential second to none on our continent.

    Life is a serious Enterprise!!

  6. @ Bryson and Decotexx. You would rather have Billions of $ in reserve whilst you fail to provide desks, chairs and boards for school going children? Not to mention other pathetic social services. You would rather have billions of $ in reserve and let your own citizenry suffer just becoz you want to show the world that you are a good finance minister? MMD and all their educated geniuses should just go away and never ever come back!

  7. I have a serious problem with ZAFFICO. Their track record is nothing to write home about. Good luck to them but in the end it will just be another failed project.

  8. Khumal Holdings? Hmm, sounds like one of the Mwenye experiments gone bad.
    While the Rhetoric sounds great, let the technocrats do the assessments and implementation!
    Government should have no business in Business!

  9. ZAffico has failed to run the forests on the copperbelt how can they manage a tea company?
    It is just politics because of Mansa central.

  10. Good line diversification for zaffico.Its surely is in line with their business operations well thought.

    For many felt ventures its high time we balances incentives and protection of creditors from many such disinvestments.Balancing and upscaling of registration and imcorporation of companies and ventures will help to ensure that something is left at woundup requiring minimum and adequate threshold of capital to meet such eventuality such as the payments of distressed employees and creditors will help.

    Upholding of best practices in voluntary and involuntary wind up will help also many

  11. Give HH this company free of charge and let him perform wonders sale Mansa batteries to him as well at book value.They are very few zambians who can turn white elephants to black.

  12. i Curriculum vitae
    Name : Charles Mtambo
    Date of birth : 15th august, 1970
    Sex : male
    N.R.C : 206103/64/1
    Religion : Christian
    Contact no. : 0969 275699
    Email address : [email protected]
    Tribe : Tumbuka
    Language spoken : English, Bemba. Nsenga, Kunda, Tumbuka, Lamba and can greet all Zambian languages
    Academic data
    Year School Grade Town credential
    1999 -86 Natwange primary 1—7 Kitwe certificate
    1987-90 kabundi secondary 8—12…

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