Friday, March 29, 2024

Construction of some the infrastructure should not be allowed to continue-President Lungu

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President Lungu listens to Stanbic Bank Head of marketing Perry Siame (R) as Stanbic Bank Chief Executive officer Charles Mudiwa (L) looks on during the Exibition at the 2017 Housing and Infrastructure Symposium at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on Thursday,April 20,2017 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA

President Edgar Lungu says the construction of some infrastructure in the country should not be allowed to continue.

The Head of State says this is because some infrastructure leaves much to be desired.

The President says it is saddening that the country has taken a casual approach to the kind of infrastructure being put up.

President Lungu has challenged Zambia’s engineers to up their game by ensuring that at planning and designing stage, they take into consideration factors which will make infrastructure sustainable.

The Head of State says failure to do so will lead to the country wasting colossal sums of money on poor structures.

President Lungu was speaking when he officially opened the 2017 Housing and Infrastructure Symposium in Lusaka this morning under the theme “towards a smart and resilient infrastructure”.

The Head of State added that in order for the country to attain a smart and resilient infrastructure there is need for drastic change in the way things are being done and adopt a smart and sustainable approach.

He has called on technocrats to find creative and innovative strategies and embrace technologies that will enable Zambia put in place infrastructure that will withstand effects of climate change.

The President added that Government is taking into account issues of sustainable environmental management and impacts of climate change because they are cardinal in the pursuant of housing and infrastructure development.

The Head of State says the success of the symposium will not lie in the number of presentations that will be made or the amount of talking by delegates but by sound resolutions that will be followed by practical steps.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development Ronald Chitotela says the 2017 Housing and Infrastructure Symposium being held in Lusaka will show case government’s resolve to upgrade infrastructure in the country.

Mr. Chitotela says government is taking steps in road construction but it wants the sector to move in tandem in the housing sector.

And Standbic Bank Zambia Chief Executive officer Charles Mudiwa says the bank stands ready to partner with government to improve the infrastructure sector.

Mr Mudiwa says the bank shares government’s vision and it is working at enhancing Small and Medium Enterprises development through provision of financial assistance.

He has also called on SMEs in the country to diversify and maximize the opportunities that lie in the infrastructure and construction sector.

President Lungu listens to Zambia Airports Director- Airport Services Agness Chaila (L) as Minister of Housing and Infrastructure development Ronald Chitotela (R) during the Exhibition on the sideline of the 2017 Housing and Infrastructure Symposium at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on Thursday,April 20,2017 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA
President Lungu listens to Zambia Airports Director- Airport Services Agness Chaila (L) as Minister of Housing and Infrastructure development Ronald Chitotela (R) during the Exhibition on the sideline of the 2017 Housing and Infrastructure Symposium at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on Thursday,April 20,2017 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA

37 COMMENTS

  1. chakolwa…go and take your ARV…actually ECL needs a head transplant, or vaccinations

    • After spending all that Eurobond money??? Not sure whether to laugh or cry.
      So who bears the cost of fixing the numerous shoddy works sold to incompetent contractors by greedy PF “tenderpreneurs”???

      Clearly not Vodiga Rungu and minions!!! They can do no wrong, especially with HH in Jail.

    • Those were started under Mwanawasa
      Mwanawasa was the WORST presdeint ever.

      1. Sata
      2. Lungu
      3.Chiluba
      4. Banda
      5. Kaunda
      6. Mwanwasa

      Lungu is correcting all the mess of contracts awarded then

      Hopefully when lungu leaves in 2026 ( after a third term) things would have been sorted

      Thanks

      BB2014,2016

    • @Mushota, my list is:
      1. KK
      2. Chiluba
      3. Mwanawasa
      4. Sata
      5. Lungu
      6. RB
      Seems those taking over from the died president, afya bupyani are NOT good at all.

    • This is the wrong approach Mr President!
      There are several factors responsible for poor infrastructures the paramount one is corruption!
      If you have a coucil that approves the building of east park mall when you already have manda hill and arcedes on the only get way road to the biggest university on the same road as parliament on the same road as show grounds on the same road as mulungushi conference centre and no regard for controlling traffic by way of traffic lights than you have a problem.
      You need to follow the paper trail who approved the poor plans? Who inspected the the silly structure most importantly who authorised the final document? Don’t blame engineers.
      Then you wonder how some civil servants are so rich well there you have it.
      If you are really serious about what…

    • ………Then you wonder how some civil servants are so rich well there you have it.
      If you are really serious about what you are saying start with simoson building which is a death trap then go to the unfinished building near Kulima Tower fire a few people and arrest those who have cases to answer.
      Don’t just talk act now.
      You are lucky we don’t have earthquakes!
      And whilst at it find out why thatched houses in villages have electricity isn’t that dangerous?

    • How can EL say that, he brought lawlessness in Zambia, he f*1cked all freedoms and allowed his cadres to give plots, and build anywhere they wanted without council planning approval. This again, has been echoed by that SG of PF. PF SG by the needs alot bathing to. People cant tell wether he bathes or not. I cant tell either!

  2. Good statement, but what have we done to those contractors that have been paid and have disappeared? Mr. President, please show us your seriousness by bringing to book such contractors. Several times we have watched you on TV talking about incomplete projects, but to date I have not heard of any contractor who has been punished for stealing from us the poor. For as long as no contractor is penalized this will go on and on and on…….. Your government’s failure to take action makes me miss Levy Patric Mwanawasa whose government blacklisted contractors like Tomorrow Investments, Sable and many more. Please Mr. President, with due respect, listen to us the poor. We cannot continue losing money as a country through bogus contracts and contractors. I am writing this in very good faith to…

    • Jason, that will never happen. The “contractors” are all PF insiders that corruptly got the contracts and then handed them on to useless firms to implement after taking 50% of the money.

      Asking Lungu to fix this problem is like asking him to intentionally shoot himself in the foot!

      Lungu HIMSELF is the beneficiary of these corrupt deals. Where do you think he got the 23 MILLION he DECLARED after just one year in State House? By winning a lottery? And who knows how much more of the borrowed 10 BILLION DOLLARS kaloba he has hidden away and NOT DECLARED?

      His empty words are just to delude and confuse simple people. When the door is closed it is a completely different story!

  3. I expected corruption to be blamed for poor infrastructure and not engineers. The fact that it was not mentioned means infrastructure will continue to be poor as corruption continues in the roads and other govt projects

  4. We have a price to pay…… Every project has an investment and return phase taking into account of the risk involved and how the risk will be managed. Take the Victoria falls bridge built in 1905 by the whites in UK , we call colonialist…. Today we still use it…..
    Shame on us….. let us wake up and do better and greater things than treasoning each other……. Asha…

  5. Lungu is a joke. How much public funds have you wasted on such projects and just how many Zambian engineers are involved? Next you will direct some Minister to do ABC knowing full well that your directives are empty because you have and continue to waste money without a concious. So quit this nonsense, hear the petition and let’s put Zambia on track again!

  6. Zambians, we have a price to pay…. Let us avoid the blame shifting game. The President is aware who the contractors are. Ask him about the maize contractors, he will have something to say….
    Surely more contracts have been awarded under PF than any regime.
    Mushota we stay in Zambia and we visit these contractual works. My Friend , Mushota you can cry at the quality of work…..
    The Victoria fall bridge was built in 1905 by whites and it is still strong up to now.
    A colonialist did a perfect job in 1905 yet Zambians are treasoning each other,,,. Shame on each other

  7. Hmm.
    If only there was an institution that could set standard – perhaps we could call it Zambia Bureau of Standards. I think that would make a great name.

    And while we’re at it, we should probably set up a Ministry of National Planning so that they can lay out a plan for national development. Perhaps they can work with local government and city councils to make sure that building put up are certified and up to code.

    #Bufi
    #OneZambia

  8. But who appointed these contractors to begin with, was it not this same corrupt lazy crook? And why does his face look like that? Inge sesi nunkile fa ng’anda ya mupweletete!

    • I have just come back from Eastern Province. The section of the newly resurfaced road from Luangwa Bridge to somewhere before Nyimba is already collapsing. The tar is becoming porridge in some sections thereby creating ridges, and in some sections potholes have emerged. Worse still, the rain season is essentially over, but there are no signs that the contractor is mobilising to fix the mess. Since this road is hardly a year old, I hope that the retention fees are still not paid until the defects are corrected. What assurance is ZDA giving to the Zambian people in general, and Great East Road users in particular?

  9. I believe the people that have stolen money should pay for repairing the shoddy works. They give contracts to substandard contractors and pocket the rest.

  10. The best president
    1.levy
    2.KK
    3.RB is a crook and stole from zambian treasury he was realised by his stooge ECL whom he stole an election for to ensure the winner HH does not pursue him
    4.Sata was the worst tribalist and also stole using RDA
    Its because of his lack of leadership in pf that we have ended up with ECL
    5.FTJ started well but messed up by stealing from Zambia
    6.ECL is the worst tyrant who thinks he is a ka mini mugabe cum museveni. He is also a trbalist who released his wako ni wako bululu Rb from theft charges and Rb rewarded him by stealing an election for Him in 2016 to shield him.ECL has got too much blood on his hands like Rb (Barotseland massacre).ECL is the one who should be charged for treason because he stole the 2016 election
    I am an easterner but dont…

  11. THAT IS HOW BURROW ZULU CHEATED ZAMBIANS OVER MEANWOOD HOUSING SCHEME. ZULU SHOWED ON HIS WEBSITE ALL THE MODERN INFRASTRUCTURAL MAKE UP OF MEAN WOOD AND BASED ON THAT WE IN THE DIASPORA BOUGHT PLOTS AND TODAY THE PLACE IS A FLOODING AREA WITHOUT ANY SERVICES WATER, ROADS AND SEWERAGE SYSTEM. ZULU IS FREELY MAKING MORE FRAUDS CHEATING ZAMBIANS WITHOUT BEING TAKEN TO ACCOUNT FOR HIS DECEPTION. WE ARE UNABLE TO RETURN TO ZAMBIA. ZAMBIANS AND ITS GOVERNMENT CAN NOT BE TRUSTED OVER UPLIFTING RESIDENTIAL AREAS.

    • You guys can easily take him to court. there are legal instruments to do so. Go ahead. Don’t wait for the president.

  12. I have always thought Zambia needed a change in the way infrastructure was built. Zambia needs a facelift. We have the money so lets do it. Small things like making “paving a parking area” mandatory could in an instant, make us on par with the best of Africa.
    I say thumbs up to Lungu for those statements.

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