A team of officials from South Africa’s Transnet arrive in Zambia tomorrow to open discussions with Government over three groundbreaking projects, which include the proposed multi-purpose fuel pipeline from Ndola to Lusaka.
This is according to a statement released to the media by Press Secretary at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa, Nicky Shabolyo.
Transnet is looking to enter an agreement on how it could pass on some of its fuel tankers to Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL), resolving challenges it was facing with ZRL in implementing the North-South Corridor project, and consider the proposed 360 kilometre fuel pipeline.
The company has moved from transporting its fuel stocks through rail following the completion of construction of a 20 billion rand fuel pipeline between Johannesburg and Durban and would like to pass on the excess tankers to ZRL.
The North-South Corridor project is part of Transnet’s initiatives aimed at implementing an efficient transportation system which is expected to integrate South Africa with the rest of the continent through the creation of competitive corridor supply chains.
The pipeline is proposed to be built along the ZRL corridor under a private-public-partnership structure and would involve a local partner, ZRL and Transnet. The financing would be sourced by the PPP members.
The projects were first revealed last month when Transnet officials met Zambia’s High Commissioner-Designate to South Africa, His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Mwamba after which the High Commission arranged the meetings with representatives of the Zambian Government.
The delegation which will be in Zambia from 16th -18th November, 2015, will be led by Executive Manager for International Business Ms. Nyameka Madikizela; Manager for Strategy and Marketing Mr. Imran Karim; Chief Engineer Mr. Gert Ludick; Ms. Sue Govender, in charge of Capital Projects, and Ms. Lynette Mangozhe, from the Engineering department.
They will meet officials at the Ministry of Works and Supply, Ministry of Energy and ZRL.
Transnet is a South African state-owned company with experience in rail transportation, port management as well as pipeline technology and transportation.
This project will be more than welcome particularly if it reduces cost of fuel in Zambia which I believe is the highest in the region.
Hopefully traffic of oil tankers will come down somewhat.
But who will actually fund the project? Not the hapless consumer I hope!
I hate Zambia, Its like being in prison- that is the unfortunate thing that is going to happen to me and my fiance in 2 weeks.
I will be there and I wish I wasn’t going but sadly i have to spend the last few weeks with my auntie who wont be alive for long
I hate going back there, really do. Will miss scotland
Thanks
BB 2014
Although I stand corrected, I thought Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) was an affiliate of Transnet?
RSZ is not part of Transnet. RSZ is a part of New Limpopo Investment Project (NLIP) which won the bid to run the railways when Zambia Railways was concessioned on Dec 3 in 2003. RSZ contracted Transnet to be in charge of operations but they later pulled out.
@Zambia First, thank you for the clarification.
This has Emanuel Mwamba sticky fingerprints all over it and remember a leopard can not change its spots overnight…let’s not forget the CD hologram sticker scandal when the crook Mwamba was at Ministry of Information.
Since when have South Africans been charitable to us? This is simply not a charity hand out by the South Africans of their excess fuel tankers they don’t need; these guys want the contract to construct a pipeline from Ndola to Lusaka. LT do not fall in the trap of promoting Mwamba by being his ghost writer like some media houses are doing.
Objectively speaking, this is not bad news as you would want us believe. FYI South Africa is the number one investor in Africa and if they can help Zambia to invest in energy projects, I think this is much better than foreign investment or aid from western financial institutes like the World Bank which always seek to put us on economic hooks.
The economic problems we are currently facing have a lot to do with our poor infrastructure reliability and inaccessibility of oil supply. I think this project, if successfull, can be a huge step towards easily accessible, cheaper fuel for Zambians.
@ Nine Chale – if you want cheap fuel in Zambia all you have to is a branch and root overhaul of how we procure, tender, distribute, tax and retail crude oil from its source in the middle-east to your brother and sisters’ Toyota Spacio…remember one Wynter Kabimba was one staked to head a commission of inquiry in why fuel is expensive back in 2012 only for him to cut a fuel deal for himself. This notion of saying when choosing between two devils you choose the one that you have never tried has to cease…what makes you think they are helping you when they are a business entity? The sooner you stop your slave mentality mindset will you start cutting deals that balance the interests of taxpayers/citizens and business.
Nine Chale I’ve told you time and time again to smell coffee ever…
time again to smell coffee ever since old man Sata was in power in 2011 but you never yield to advice…surely what deal can you cut with Transnet if you have cadres for PSs in Ministries and a President who is so lazy and dull that he can articulate anything and is surrounded by corrupt entities.
@Nine chale
Transnet has NO Money,,, its a sinking organisation, they looking to cash in on sleepy Zambia
@Jay Jay, you are on the money! The South Africans are a notoriously selfish lot who never do their neighbours any favours. They have made sure that Botswana could never develop its Mamabula coal power station project but refusing offtake. Yet RSA has load shedding power cuts up to this day. RSA has failed to complete its own Medupi power station but made sure Botswana could not progress theirs. Zambians should not trust these toyi-toying xenophobic Zulus.
Looks like mwamba is the only hard working and patriotic ambassador Zambia has ever had. The rest are busy with upnd and cartels deals and discrediting Zambia to foreign investors.
Even if Mamba was selling your grandchildren’s reasources for a mere kickback and pimping your daughters you would ignorantly sing praises of him as you don’t know what hard work is.
Jay Jay, we need to give both Emmanuel and his team the chance. Learn to commend great efforts, endless negative criticism wont take our country forward. Emmanuel could have made that mistake but himself just like you should be given a chance to do the best for the motherland. Let us learn to appreciate and support good programs. There are many South Africans who mean well for Zambia and that can be proved, they have atleast created jobs and changed lives – what have you done to your own people?
@Henry – when are you going to see yourself as an equal player and partner? who needs who most in this deal? The moment you start thinking like a politician and start mentioning about job creating is the moment you start selling yourself short in the deal and end up with casual part-time jobs. Remember that Transet’s stock is majority owned by RSA’s Department of Public Enterprises; they also have an obligation to their taxpayers and also job creation and profit.
The soften you up with used tankers and you start singing praises.
Wake up you can easily get another construction company construct the pipeline and another to facility manage at a cheaper rate if this was a priority…wake up!!
Yes, your Transnet will construct a pipeline from Ndola to Lusaka for a song (Mwamba gets his kickback)and charge you for pumping fuel in it then 3 years down the line you will be asking yourself why fuel is so expensive in Zambia, as if you don’t have many middlemen already in the procurement and distribution of fuel and you want to add another big player.
Wake up and think ahead!!
And he fact they dine with RSZ even makes it worse. Mwamba, RSZ, etc that smell is not good. I disapprove this project. It smell period!!!
Unfortunately Zambia needs the common wealth developing nations advisory body, which advisors countries entering deals with multinationals or forigne governments. This body is made of international lawyers and commercial thinktanks. It gives advise for the best interests of the country.
The custodians of Zambians wellfare, the GRZ and their advisors can not be trusted to sign any international agreement in the best interest of the country, either through corruption or dullness or both.
Muleumfwa mwebantu ifyo balevoka ba “Kashimba Chimbwiri”….
failed project even before it starts.
Us ZRL employees know that this is not a new project. It could be new to the PF, but we have been there before. This project has come and gone without implementation. This is a failed project. It has failed right at take off.
The Oil Pipe Line needs to be the key area of discussion. There is no need to deal with all the issues all at once. What is the hurry? What is the panic? The OPL is full of promise. Let it remain the only agenda item. When the second Oil refinery is completed in Lusaka, then more fuel will flow from Lusaka to Ndola.
These are the same chaps that dribbled LPM over RSZ. Only to pull out out after the deal was inked leaving the their sidekick partners Limpopo to rape the railways. Wake up Zambia