The Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development has announced that K20 Million has been released to go towards ongoing construction of the Kazungula Bridge.
Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development Permanent Secretary Engineer Charles Mushota says the Ministry of Finance released the money on Friday 15th March, 2019.
Engineer Mushota has however explained that the contractor working on the Kazungula bridge has not yet received the money due to technical difficulties in money transfer.
“The Ministry of Finance has assured me that they released the money on Friday last week. However, due to technicalities regarding government money transfer, the money has delayed in hitting the National Road Fund Agency (NFRA) account for onwards disbursement to the contractor.” Engineer Mushota said.
The Permanent Secretary says he has been assured by the Ministry of Finance that the technicalities will be resolved and the contractor will be paid soon.
“There is no need to panic as we are all determined to ensure that the contractor is paid and work continues. The Kazungula bridge is a very important project government is undertaking and everyone is focused to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in the construction process.” Eng. Mushota Explained.
The Korean multinational Daewoo Engineering and Construction which is constructing Kazungula Bridge today closed down the site due to a financial issues.
But Engineer Mushota has assured the contractor and all the workers that they should resume work as government is seriously and competently addressing their concerns.
This is according to a statement issued to the media by Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development Minister spokesperson Jeff Banda.
Joke of a country! You claim infrastructure development is a high priority but you can’t prioritise paying contractors on a key project like the Kazungula bridge! Unless it is other projects involving Chinese contractors in which you are able to get kick-backs. Probably not so easy on the Kazungula project because it involves the Botswana government and multilateral donors such as Africa Development Bank. Even the K20m is a joke when considers the vast amount of millions in USD spent on flimsy undertakings!
Progress. The knuckleheads will cry foul as usual.
All machinery at there need diesel.
Koreans are good people, it was Turkish or Italians, they would close down, take all equipment and sue Zambia. That’s how they make money.
Engage Koreans in all road projects.
PF govt is broke. They are struggling to pay civil servants.
By mid year, they’ll have no choice but to print money & bleed the Kwacha like last days of UNIP.
Tighten your belts bane. You created this monster, feed it!
NICHEKELEKO FIRST
Kuwaya waya fye! Hope all goes to where it intended to go
Yeah pay them, even gost online upnd propagandas like watchdog jump on this as a revelation. Pay them we see
@ Bongo Bongo
This is NOT revelation. This is stark reality of blind leading the blind towards the financial cliff edge.
Only brainwashed thick headed moronic uneducated crapper will see something positive in it.
Are you one of them boy?
Is that USDorah. Or maybe malawi kwacha. Trending at 1 to k10.
That amount is just enough rda engineers for supervision and consultancy.
One thing you note is that delay has cost us an extra $2 million remember contractor has to pay charges for machinery bounced direct debits..etc which could have even been used towards rehabilitation schools or paying meal allowances this Is the recklessness I talk about
Just say the cheque bounced! No liquidity in this dead economy! There is only money for Luxury jets, luxury vehicles and bye elections and no money for everything else! PF should be careful with elections that come during years with a 1 at the end! Zambias usually change governments during those years – 1991, 2011, 2021! It’s not HH again this time but someone God will soon reveal!
Ndeke za Lungu sizizaenda pa ulalo so no need to fund the bridge. We just need an airport
Dununa reverse?
A transfer is instant what technical difficulties? Just say there is no money in your account. And K20million only amounts to US$1.5million at today’s rate yet we are behind payments to the tune of US $18million. How will the contractor resume work after being paid less than 10% of what is owed to date.
It works out 1.6 billion USD, not 1.6 million. Let us appreciate what the government has done please
Sorry. I miscalculated above here
@ sun
apologizing for miscalculation its ok. Still waiting for apology for “appreciation” (LOL) of another government f*ckup
Iye that’s less than $2 million out of $ 14 million remaining. What a joke of a country. Can you just sell that G 650 jet you bought and use the money to pay for the bridge. This is an embarrassment, Shame!!!
Imagine,the cost of the jet can pay for the bridge,uku nikuzitaya,and the hungry citizens are watching.
Look the contractor wont commence works with $1.5m when you are $18m. 2ndly, you govt did not release any money. Its broke. 3rdly, you shouldn’t have voted for pf in 2011. Mmd could have done better things with the zambian eco unlike these dullhards you put in power.
….due to technical difficulties in money transfers…bla bla bla REALLY? failure to pay Daewoo Engineering Co. was never news to Zambia. Prompts and teasing from Botswana made Lungu blink and forego paying civil servants salaries to meet a K20 million bill. Repayment of national loans will soon mature and expected to be paid, what will happen then?
Sonta apa shele,tubombepo,
Sonta epo walafumya indalama.
Even the payment thing has also come after Zambia watchdog exposed them. This ka $1.5 million they have released is just a cover up to paint watchdog black. But the truth still remains that the contractor cannot resume work with that small amount of money.
Just sell the Luxury presidential jet of $64million! Zambia is rich! $18million owing is too small looking at what we are able to buy.
Just pay your share in full! You are embarrassing us!
There you go with this chipante pante govt, nothing concrete with these dull morons, this is a real embarrassment.
With that money released, Civil servants should forget about the April salaries.
If this is Engineer MushOta’s statement what was Journalist Siliya’s follow up question? And will Accountant Mwanakatwe respond on what caused the cheque to bounce? We all saw Lawyer Lungu visit the bridge with Loudspeaker Lusambo is this when it was realized that there was no money?
How UPND would have loved to have been the ones that executed most of these projects especially this one! Its your country too. Support government so that ypu have somewhere to start from unless you are sure like most of us including HH that he will never rule Zambia. Bu president sibumela monga mano
Yama ba One Zambian, how does UPND come into this story kanshi??? The PS is explaining challenges imwe busy UPND, HH, supporting government, not being president blah blah blah. Tamulala pali ababantu???