Government has liquidated about K130 million owed to various contractors since November last year.
Housing and infrastructure development minister, Ronald Chitotela said government owed contractors about K190 million as at November 1 last year.
Mr Chitotela assured that government government is expected to clear the remaining K60 million by end of February this year.
ZANIS reports that the minister said this in Ikelenge district yesterday when he, accompanied by provincial minister, Richard Kapita, inspected Mwinilunga-Jimbe road and government housing units for Ikelenge district.
Mr Chitotela said government committed to open up the border between Zambia and Angola and exploit the potential trade opportunities between the two countries.
And Mr Kapita said government is determined to demonstrate commitment to deliver development to all parts of the country.
He said at the same event that people are now able to see that government means business and not merely making promises.
Mwinilunga-Jimbe upgrading project to bituminous level was awarded to FRECA mining at a total cost of 105 million United State of America dollars.
FRECA contracts manager, Vennie Tilimboyi assured that the company expects to upgrade the road to bituminous standard by the end of this year.
Mr Tilimboyi further said that they aim to completed bush clearing up to Jimbe in a week’s time.
This is good news. Continue fulfilling your promises and people will start to have faith in PF again.
Do you even know how long contractors have been waiting? If you are a local contractor do you honestly think you can survive?
MyZambia: This information is not accurate. Contractors are not owed K190million, there are owed more than that amount in fact in billions. I do not know who is giving the Minister wrong information and honestly it’s not Mushota the PS. Mushota is very astute with the truth. Contractors are still owed billions please. Let’s be accurate for once
Paying kaloba with kaloba only for the same citizens to pay this kaloba money back through increased taxes
NEZ: For once I am with you. It does not make sense at all and it’s a merry go round
Really laughable …even using jargon to confuse the cadre halfwits…when we tell you these tins have no money and should be tightened their belts by cutting back on excesses. Surely how do you expect a local contractor to compete with the Chines contractor with their bank’s backing when the govt can not pay…how does a contractor pay for hire of machinery? You think they will accept stones as payment.
Meanwhile PF ministers have plenty of cash they are carrying around in handbags name it US dollars, Indian rupees, diplomatic passports name it.
Hon. Minister does not know that K190 million is just a FRACTION of what is Government indebtedness to contractors countrywide?
Or perhaps, neither he nor the Government are willing to accept stark reality?
Agony is being a Zambian Contractor being supervised by politicians with no idea of the whole construction process. You need resources to execute construction works. i.e labour, equipment and finances. Now if you don’t have finances because the client is not paying you how do you mobilize equipment, how do you mobilize labour and later on pay the same labour.
I hate it when I see a DC or a provincial Minister pushing a Zambian Contractor to speed up particular works when the contractor has not be paid. And that contractor is not credit worthy because his account rarely sees cash inflows.
Not all local contractors are bad but there are some bad elements such as cadres turned contractors who don’t bother to do good works or do works at all due to political protection.