United Party for National Development (UPND) vice president for political affairs Canisius Banda has castigated President Edgar Lungu’s launch of the 750 megawatts Kafue Gorge Lower hydropower project.
In a telephone interview with Pan African Radio Journalist Hermit Hachilonde, Dr. Banda stated that president Lungu should have just given a directive regarding the commencement of the project which was launched on 20th July, 2011 by the former President Rupiah Banda.(RB commissions $2bn Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro-electric Power Station)
He noted that huge amounts of money were injected by the MMD administration into the same project in which the Chinese firm sino Hydro Corporation was contracted.
Dr. Banda has also shown dismay that the PF Government is not good at record keeping. He says had they kept records on the Kafue gorge commissioning in 2011, the PF Government could have not wasted time to re-commission the project.
“The PF do not even understand anything about governance, it is very very sad that you see they are not even keeping the records of Government, that project was launched and when they won they trashed it and I remember at the press conference president Lungu said that will be the first power project to be launched since independence that is what he said! He was in the dark! He did not know! His advisors did not tell him. Now the PF when got power they begun to behave like father christmas, they needed to grow the income side of the budget, and that Kafue gorge lower hydro power project is one of things they needed to implement first and they trashed it because they took it that it was a Banda thing, forgetting that it was a Government project. Dr. Banda said”
Meanwhile Dr. Banda has noted that the PF government is deceptive and its ineptitude has caused numerous economic hardships in the country.
“Hermit! That project was launched four years ago, now we are re-launching it and you know a number of Zambians are saying it’s the PF that have created that project, deceiving the people that they are the one launching it, when it was actually launched by the previous Government. This kind of deception and ineptitude is what Zambian does not like. Look! Look! This PF told us that no single miner will lose a job and now they are telling us that they tried and they should be thanked because they have managed the number of job losses in the mines which they expected to be a huge number. What kind of nonsense is that? Dr. Banda said”
Embarrassing. It is true, we forgot that that Hydro-station started by MMD, maybe that is why Dora Siliya was called to bring the files and the account number where MMD signed for the project.
There will be more re-launch of such projects.
I have also wondered how many commissioning & recommissioning we are going to have over the same projects. I believe the same has been done over & over again by successive governments. I have heard of commissioning of Kafue Gorge Lower hydropower, Kariba North, Itezhi Tezhi, Kabompo , Batoka Projects etc since time immemorial starting with UNIP.
I’m lost with the semantics used here: one time its commissioning, another its launching & yet another time its groundbreaking. Yet they mean the same thing which is wrongly the start of a project. I thought you launch or ground break for start of a project & commission a completed project to start operating not building of its infrastructure! Waste of our precious time!
Somebody educate me!
Ifiko kasambe iwe mandevu ala sha!!!!!!!!!!!
LUNGU HAS SCREWED UP AGAIN! When is this guy going to wake up? When is going to make the right decisions? Is this just incompetence, or crookery and corruption?
He is now singing about a 750 MW project that will cost over 2 Billion Dollars and take SIX years to build.
And there is another project sitting on the shelf, Batoka Gorge, that will produce 2400 MW and cost 3 Billion Dollars and take THREE years to complete!
Simple arithmetic tells me Kafue will cost 2.67 million per Megawatt installed. Batoka will cost 1.25 million per MW, and be finished sooner….. AND THIS CLOWN CHOOSES KAFUE !!!
Did this man pass arithmetic in school? Or is he just getting kickbacks?
Ni project ya nyoko!
This dr. banda is sick in the head surely is there some thing for the President going to commissioning this Project? How did upnd appointed him to this position? awe mapezi byiyo.
There is surely something wrong with commissioning again a project which was already commissioned in 2011!
Hastings. Seriously, you don’t see anything wrong in commissioning an already commissioned project?
We call it bitterness in the UPND to condemn anything which Lungu does
This quack banda has also lost it. This is a milestone project and needed just that attention. If you don’t have anything to do, go and open or rather declare UPND villages non-defacation zones.
and they are busy calling themselves ati opposition parties. Tell us under whose funds and budget was this project going to start. How can a new party in govt just take on board a multi million dollar project which they didnt initiate. What was the financing costs for the project in 2011. Ati he should have just given instructions ati can that mmd start since it was launched. Only upnd i.d.i.o.t.s will see sense in this useless piece of shit by their traditional veep.
A govt project is not a party project. Fact that Lungu made no reference to activities of 2011 involving same project shows that he was ignorant of such and so was his entire cabinet. They are surely embarrassed. Or at least, they should be!
If it was trashed by winter Kabimba and Fred M`Membe thinking it was a Banda Cartel trying to pull a quick one, then It is justifiable to relaunch it. Lungu has seen the need to relaunch it.
Yes it is the third largest power project from the Kariba North Bank and Kafue Gorge Power station, and he said n 40 years not 51 years, get your facts right.
The calibre of Lungu’s supporters on this blog surprise me. Some utter only crap! No analysis of issues whatsoever! “They just scream and say things which dont make sense. No wonder PF is full of bakaponya. “You can take a man out of the bush but…………………..” . We used to have such characters at UNZA. Its like washing a pig and apply perfume on it! See what happens next! That is PF for you. Zambia is going nowhere with these fellows. After RB has commisioned a project, 4 years later you go to do the same. What nincapoops!
“It gives me great pleasure to officiate at this important occasion which marks the official handover of the 750mw Kafue gorge lower hydropower project site to the sinohydro corporation limited of the peoples republic of china..”
“This is Zambia’s first major power investment in 40 years! It is regrettable that valuable time was lost in unnecessary red tape and accusations and counter-accusations of wrongdoing leading the cancellation of the project several times…”
“..It is now my singular honour to officially handover the Kafue gorge lower Hydro power project site to Sinohydro corporation to commence the construction works.
May the almighty god bless you all.
I Thank You.”
H.E. President Edgar C. Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia.
Naff said!
So the president shouldnt have gone there? for 2 bn dollar project? That will add 750mw to the national grid? So this is not important, ba dr mandevu doti banda? then u cry rigging mukaluza. Mmd launched it without a proper financing plan. Pf did not trash it, the just redrew the financing and within a few months they gpt the euro bond and spent $186m on its initial stage in 2012. Would u call this abandonment? Some of these “political heavy weights in upnd” are just full of shaaaiitt.
Recommissioning the already commissioned project… Yaba But LUNGU is really out of reality zoona.. any way when is loadshading ending??
@Mwanza, the rains have just started, go to Kariba and start measuring the levels of water. That is your assignment. You will know when the load shedding stops. Wamvwa ka.
UPND will never be positive about anything in this country unless they are in power. In 2016, we will shut up these sadists once and for all. If the previous government commissioned a project but that never took off, what is wrong with re-commissioning the project by the president? I surely find these lot too manipulative and insincere most of the time. Even when you are nearly getting to start liking them a little bit you get put off by the adverse sycophancy to government programmes.
Yes, Dr. Banda HE Edgar C. Lungu re-commissioned the Kafue Gorge project so as to motivate the contractor and impress upon them the importance of this project to our country and If that is really bad to you then just fcuk yourself!
Walasa. Let Dr. band hang himself if he feels grieved by HE EL to recommission the project. Ni commissioning ya anyoko?
@Mundetelele, you like so many are missing the point. PF stopped this project without giving any reason. They have now restarted it without explaining why it was stopped. And now they are claiming credit for relaunching it. Dont you see anything wrong here??
Secondly, “They are closing the stable doors after the horse has already bolted “a saying goes
these two are the issues. If someone closes the university for 5 years for no reason, then reopens it and claims credit for opening it why wouldou celebrate?? they are basically coming back to their senses so why all the praises?? THAT is the issue. Looking at this mixed bag of comments, I have further proof why Zambia ia a poor country. ITS people are poor thinkers, planners and implementers only thinking tribalism to justify all the…
This is how these politicians take Zambians for f**ls; it was Old man deadwood Sata who trashed this selfsame project sighting corruption but today we have the selfsame member of the administration coming back four years later with the very minister we kicked out of power Dora and Chinese contractor parading that this is his government’s project ignorant of the feasibility studies that occur before such projects are commissioned…this Lazy Bum Edgar should not have wasted a drop of jet fuel flying his helicopter and his entourage to Kariba.
These empty tins have wasted 4 years of project time!!
It just shows how shallow and bitter these opposition guys are they always have something negative to say.smh selako tubombeko ninshi mailo mwalelila ama light is commissioning that important or its the benefits of the project..
I thought that President Lungu did mention that the project was long overdue. Simple English Dr Banda, though we know that you have to be seen to be working, what with the competition from GBM which has left you feeling sidelined.
So if the project was launched before and never implemented for whatever reason, what is wrong with launching it, even again?
But besides everything, ba UPND is that all you have to talk about surely we should spend our precious time debating such things? Don’t we have better things like correcting the kwacha for the good of all Zambians? But anyway, the job of UPND is not to share in the challenges of all Zambians, are you Zambians if I may ask you Dr Banda? Mwaitaya ba UPND, remember Zambians are watching who cares for them and who celebrates their pain!…
@Terrible. It is PF who terribly made this project long overdue. There lack of vision started a long time ago and continues to this day.
It’s all about terrible decisions and choices. Terrible lies, terrible blind voters, terrible politics all cost this nation development.
Let us be objective fellow Zambians.What Lungu did yesterday is what we call deception and abating corruption. It is a very serious miscalculation by Lungu. It also shows clearly that Lungu is supporting what Sata refused to support, meaning there is a lot of inconsistences in PF. Sata would have not appointed Lungu who is opposing everything he planned to do.Lungu is corrupt to the bone.He has reduced himself to chola boy for RB.
Please upnd leave the President alone. MMD funded this project and President Lungu commissioned the same.
@hasting moonga,u are right to say mmd funded this project and commissioned it,so why recommissioning it when all was done.thats what we call deception.
IWE BANDA AS IF U VE NEVER BEEN TO SCHOOL U MEAN IF SINO CONSTRUCTION WERE GIVEN MONEY BY GOVT WUD HAVE BEEN QUIET ie mmd/pf? ITS NOT TRUE BUT YES CHILUBA,MWANAWASA,BANDA,SATA CUD HAVE DONE THAT BUT NO OUT PUT IF LUNGU HAS LAUCHED WORK STARTS THEN HE IS ATOUCH BEARER OTHERS WERE CHEATING. OTHER THING IS U BANDA U ARE JUST GIVEN WHAT TO SAY BY HH MOST THINGS ARE DECIDED IN YO ABSENCE U DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT KILLED YO WIFE DISPITE U BEING A DOCTOR CHECK MAY BE YO~SUCHED BLOOD
I have always said UPND has nothing to offer to this country. People should learn a lesson from such segments coming from a vice president. It is a sign that he can’t think of any thing better to contribute. People who are good at talking are mostly empty tins. Zambians don’t make a mistake of puting this party in power. You will regret.
Some what’s the big issue about the launch, iwe dirty beard Banda?
PF has made upnd members to have sleepless nights whatever happen ni ba pf balengele umwana akomba umunani mupoto ati ni pf wafilwa ukutomba umukashi ati ni ba pf just vote them out and stop talking about them the more you say bad things about the more popular they will become just wait for 2016
Us dollar buying 10.31
US dollar selling 10.33
You clowns fighting over launching and commissioning the project! That is irrelevant!
The simple fact is that this project was on track when PF came into Government — and they derailed it!
THAT IS WHY WE HAVE LOADSHEDDING NOW! Sata, Lungu and the rest of the incompetents in PF have cost Zambia FOUR YEARS OF LOST PRODUCTION. And this is why the Mines are slowing down and firing workers, not because of the copper price, but because of the incompetent id!ots in Government that are incapable of planning and providing the support services they need to run their businesses!
This is a SCANDAL! In any other country the Government would RESIGN IN SHAME!
But Lungu and co are too dull for that. They cannot even see iy is their actions that have CRASHED ZAMBIA!
LOOK AT THIS BLACKMAILER. WHO DOES’T KNOW THAT U BLACKMAIL HH BCOS OF WIFE & HIS POOR HEALTH . YO JOB IN UPND IS TO NURSE HH ‘S WIFE THATS WHY YOU DONT ACCOMPANY THE GROUP MOST OF THE TIME. WE ALSO KNOW THAT U WANTED TO START BLACKMAILING SATA ON HIS HEALTH & HE REFUSED & U GOT BITTER. PLEASE AKUCHINJAFYE AMATEBELA ENCHITO WAIPWISHE FORGET ABOUT OUR PRESIDENT. WE HAD ENOUGH OF U ITS BETTER U TAKEN THE OTHER SIDE ~
Joker, there may be some truth in what you say. But if Lungu is correcting wrong things what is wrong with that? You UPND guys are so full of contradictions, when it suits you ati Lungu has lost the original PF (Sata) vision, on other occasions the same mouths will say ati PF (and Sata) led to this. You seem to be lost yourselves. You are only capable of finding faults in others, that is the easy part, but it does not mean you are capable of planning or even rational thinking. Just look at your president, he cannot understand load shedding, he has also refused that cost reflective tariffs are what has slowed down new power stations, instead he wants cheap electricity, is he telling us that he would also borrow heavily to subsidize consumer? If he cannot understand simple things like that,…
lets learn something from Tongas. you will never see a Tongas condenming another Tonga. A Tonga voting another tribe when there is HH . A Banda mweo sure mwani dabwiza.
Is very interesting in the first place when you commission and ground breaking which means the money is in govt coffer and the contract is ready to move to the site. Where is the 2 billion project banda commissioned . when was the tender fronted to the public . Lungu he is corrupt like his elder brother Banda. Come UPND you save zambian money these kaponyas Will finish the maize by 2016 let us be serious. I can tell you these people with all these stupid things which are happings at state House and if at all HH he was the one leading the country these fools was going to be in street long time. These are fools who are not ashamed of wrong things which are happening in zambia
The gutter press reports what their readers want to hear – always anti-government propaganda. The president went their to grace the start of works – they say commission the project! My foot – even Canisius plays into the same nonsense, as usual.
Dull ranting from UPND again. Shame on them.
Ala ba under 5.
I see of most of pro PF commentators r saying nothing tangible, but busy just attacking Banda. Even if Banda was wrong, why is that PF supporters never articulate issues. Zambia is full of useless, low thinking people & we will always be lead by mediocre leaders because of this blind tribal loyalty.
I do not usually agree with Dr. Banda on account of his views being mostly a misrepresentation of facts or simply misguided but on this one he surely has a point that is worth consideration and justifiably so. We should not as people be short-sighted and have such short memories that had it not being for political expedience some of these projects would have been operational by and could mitigated the power blues we are facing now. And for the record, there is a huge difference between launching and commissioning. To launch is to start the construction in this instance while to commission is to bring something newly constructed, such as a building, machine or plant into working condition.
“It gives me great pleasure to officiate at this important occasion which marks the official handover of the 750mw Kafue gorge lower hydropower project site to the sinohydro corporation limited of the peoples republic of china..”
“This is Zambia’s first major power investment in 40 years! It is regrettable that valuable time was lost in unnecessary red tape and accusations and counter-accusations of wrongdoing leading the cancellation of the project several times…”
“..It is now my singular honour to officially handover the Kafue gorge lower Hydro power project site to Sinohydro corporation to commence the construction works.
May the almighty god bless you all.
I Thank You.”
H.E. President Edgar C. Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia.
Again, ‘naff said!
(And…
(And please refer to @Observer above)
Cheerio…
The president has not diminished the humble effort that the former republican president, his excellency Mr. Rupia Bwezani Banda put into this project. He merely baptized the project to emphasize it’s importance and to visit the people in the vicinity who put him where he is. In christian circles, we call that being born again. The catholic say “confirmation”.
Bosses! The fact that the Project is being implemented 4 years late could have been completed last year (as it’s a 3 year project). This means we wouldn’t have had the load shedding to the extent we are having it. PF have been in power for 4 years and they are the ones who have delayed this project.
Whenever the UP aNd Down leaders open their mouths is to utter anything against Patriotic Front. We believe in actions. Come 2016 ku kolopa.
Kwena ba Zambia….it’s embarrassing the even intellectuals fail to see that these PF jokers are an embarrassment. I’d like to believe that we love ourselves and our country…enough to say abash to clueless and mediocre governance. That is Zambia’s biggest challenge….that of sound leadership.