Works and Supply Minister, Kapembwa Simbao has disclosed that President Mwanawasa has accepted the proposal from the local chiefs and citizens to name the bridge as Levy Patrick Mwanawasa Bridge.
Mr Simbao said the President did not object to the proposal of naming the bridge after him.
Yesterday, President Mwanawasa inspected the on going construction works of the Chembe bridge across the Luapula river.
The bridge, which is 320 meters long, linking Luapula and Copperbelt province through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, is being constructed at a cost of K46.3 billion out of which K31 billion has already been paid out.
Dr Mwanawasa was accompanied by Works and Supply Minister, Kapembwa Simbao, Local Government and Housing Minister, Sylvia Masebo, Copperbelt Minister, Mwansa Mbulakulima, deputy ministers and permanent secretaries.
The President was taken on a tour by Project Director, Henry Musonda, of Kilan and Musonda consulting engineers and China Hennan Director for Africa, Zhang Chang Ping.
Earlier, Mr Musonda told the President during a pre tour briefing that the lifespan of the bridge is 10 generations in Zambia.
He said so far ten out of the total 13 segments that would make up the upper deck of the bridge have already been cast.
He said casting of the deck of the Six pier would be completed by June 16 this year while the other works would be finished by the end of August this year.
Mr Musonda explained that the bridge was high enough not to be disturbed in the event of rising water levels.
Meanwhile Mr Ping assured Dr Mwanawasa and the people of Zambia that the bridge is very strong that it would not compromise China Hennan’s workmanship.
He said China Hennan was proud of having partnered with government in undertaking a huge project of constructing a bridge.
Dr Mwanawasa who later met Chief Milambo and other traditional leaders at Chembe has since returned to Lusaka.
What nonsense! I think the name Chembe bridge is fine, it identifies with the area. Let LPM be remembered for facilitating the project. Or better still let him build some nice school in that area and name it LPM, otherwise i shudder to think of a bridge called Levy Patrick Muwelele Mwanawasa bridge, it aint rhyme man!!!
The fact that he approved tells me that the guy was behind the move and just used his bootlickers to push the agenda forward. Let them conduct a hearing in the area funded from LPM’s salary to see if this is what the local people want. Just call it Chembe, it has meaning and relevance in the area.
Yah, just as the Mukuku bridge, one of Zambias pride was not named after KK. Its only a good idea about naming a school or agricultural college after LPM to associate him with his lifestyle of farming.
The area has been called CHEMBE since time immemorial and simply wiping out such a name will rob the locals of pride
Yes i follow what my bro has said its better the way we know it.
Don’t worry guys, we shall change the name in 2011.
Its a very good development to the people there & the country at large,yet let the name remain the way it is,as what Lupeta has said.
You are absolutely right #2.
# 5 YOUR POINT IS VALID AND THAT SHOULD BE MORE OF A REASON WE SHOULD NOT NAME INFRASTRUCTURE AFTER PIPO.WE TRIED THE SADDAM HUSSEIN BOULEVARD , LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED. EXTRA COSTS IN RENAMING. LET US ONLY USE PIPO’S NAMES WHEN THEY ARE DEAD. THAT WAY WE KNOW THEY WONT F,.K UP AND LOSE CREDIBILTY.
Rehabilitate Pedicle road and name it Maureen Mwanawasa road.
this whole nonsense is just showing lack of creativity. who suggested levy’s name anyway? Either name the type of fish found there ,the plant, the history or the area. So to me Chembe Bridge stands out fine
Why not call it Chembe Bridge opened by LPM?
What else is new?
I am convinced the name CHEMBE wont dissapear because its the name of the area where the bridge is. They call it Chembe because the bridge is in Chembe town. So dont worry, the name is there to stay. I could have worried if they named the town itself, now since the town is Chembe, the bridge will be CHEMBE forever and ever amen.
I agree with my bros,it doesn’t make any sense.The bridge has been known as Chembe way back.
i dont know how big that bridge is. however, when i visited china two months ago i saw four gigantic bridges on yangtze river, four lanes on one side and some of them more than 2kilometers long, but are NOT named after the president. I think in zambia we are just petty. instead of debating developmental projects those councillors were busy debating naming of a bridge, we still have a long way to go. let the bridge maintaine its original name.
Why do we not hear of yields of these two provinces,luapula and northern provinces?
Better to have a bridge called Mwanawasa in Zambia than have a Zambian blogger with a name like #5.
This is a classic African comedy. Levy tells a few bootlickers that he would like the bridge named after him. The minions set about pretending that it was their idea all the time, and the rest of MMD make out that the public are behind it. Levy then ‘graciously accepts’. This is what happened during the third term debucle. Then Kafupi kept saying that he would step down when all along he was floating the idea of a third term to his bootlickers. The rest is history. Power corrupts. No one is immune. The current delay in choosing Levy’s successor in MMD reminds me of how Chiluba banned debate about his successor.
I hope this bridge meets all the design criteria and that it does not collapse because of the weight of its name.
What a question to be left an answered?
They grow nice cabbages in that area near Levy bridge
The big man forgot about his mum, he was suppose to call it MAMA MOKOLA BRIDGE
if chembe bridge is not a good name, i propose it be called luapula bridge
That name wont sell.Just look @ Chilenje Police Station,it was recently named after some woman(Sorry) but who remembers.
LPM claimed that he is about to start congratulating himself 4 the gud job he has done 4 Zambia wen he ws in Vubwi.Am still laughing @ this joke.Negro Pliz!!
#24. which lady was it named after? I am behind in terms of whats happening in zambia. I need to laugh with u.
Name it after him, LMP is working hard for the nation. The economy is growing, their is freedom of speech, employment is continously being created and the rampant corruption that engulfed our government agencies is being exposed and measures are being taken to eradicate it.
Well done Levy! The guys in the State House PR department have been churning out some slippery stuff lately. Good story. Movement for Mwanawasa’s Dinosaurs (MMD), ni chokako weka!!!
yaba foolis LPM bridge?
#26, I totally agree with you. So, who’s this brilliant LMP guy? Haven’t been home in a while. Do we have a new president?
Hey guys whats all this fuss about. Its like three names are prominent. So I’ve a suggestion, devide this bridge in three sections and name them: CHEMBE, MWANAWASA and the other LUAPULA sections. That will close this argument.
How can the President accept to be named after a small bridge?it means that will be his biggest achievement .
Thats not the way we should be lobbing for votes levy you are being petty a smaall bridge after you imagine even i a peasant farmer in kasama can sink so low to be named after a bridge which is so small and we have not even finished paying for it nkongole.. pls advice him nicelly.for the reconcilition that good .viva levy viva micheal.Have a very good freedom day holiday and take care we love u dont drink and drive.
Can anyone please copy the story in the post about teaching street kids about entrepreneurship and paste it on this blog.
I know it’s out of topic but i really want to read that story and i have not renewed my subscription for this month.
We have an entire city named after a president who did not build it. There is a country named after a president who did not do much in terms of improving the lives of the masses. What is wrong with LPM naming a bridge that he pioneered to build? I pity my president because everyone wishes ill for him. To this is not even an issue. Let the man be.
Red card Plz what is this I have heard that two unza student have been shot and one is dead? I nkow this not the right place for this item, but I am concerned citizen.
Who cares?
#25 Monk i have 4gotten the name of the woman,these things r jst forgetable.She died in angola on a peace mission,she must has been accredited by the Police service.
#1 u are right,the name Chembe Bridge is fantabulous.If I recall very well ,the ‘Tuta’ Bridge is more than 1KM built by Dr. Kaunda,but had not dared to name it KK.what is so special about the 320M Bridge?
LPM is educated he can’t be cconviced by ‘tuma’ headmen to name the Bridge after him. Cheap propaganda from ‘Bakandiile’just eat what u have bin offered by LPM not to mislead the nation by naming the Bridge afer LPM.
mulekeni lpm, kk named so many things including the football team then,we have vera chiluba school in mtendere. so what?
Let us respect President Mwanawasa and all our leaders.We can attack him yes,but we cannot disrespect him.It is sad that some people like # 22 can even bring to ridicule the name of somedodies dead mother.Have dignity and respect. This shows who we are and not better even to be leaders of our own houses.It is okay to name the bridge under Mwanawasas name,i do not find it strange.Mwanawasa must just go a bit further by finding a proper way of remembering our presidents with the little that they have contributed to their countries.Like finding a potion at the freedom packs where statues of each succeeding president can be erected.Starting with kaunda.
EVERYONE WHO’S MADE A COMMENT ON THIS SITE SHOULD TRY TO EMULATE THE COMMENTS MADE BY #40,#34,#26,#17,#11.Zambians should not forget that they have only had 2 good presidents,KK and LPM. The uneducated do not realise how close zambia came to distruction. it still is. there is much to be said about the way LPM has conducted work through his office. Alot has to be done to correct what our last president had done and it will certainly not be corrected in his(LPM) lifetime,you all rest assured he is doing a good job.It worries me that we are not honoring our first president KK. Considering the things that were happening around Africa in his time our country could have gone a different route.
LPM Bridge…whats wrong with that?
Guys, many people would agree that ‘Chembe’ is the only right name for this beautiful bridge. It lies on two sovereign lands and waters i.e one part of it is a Congolese and the other part Zambian. For peace’s sake with ‘bakaboke’ I remind Mwanawasa that he is not superior than Kabila. LPM is not only a wrong name but will for sure will bring problems with ‘bakaboke’. But you see, among garden vegetables, common sense is not always common. Please, Zambians and Congolese stop this f…g LPM nosene naming of a bridge.
Rubish and idiosy at its greatest extent.let him name his kabulonga plot LPM and put up the biggest statue..simple…
We agree with #43, #2, #3. We have many bridges in Zambia: Lwangwa, Kafue, Mukuku, Chirundu and others.Chembe has meaning and relevance in the area, but ‘Mwanawasa bridge’ is a silly name. Accepting clearly demostrates how ‘vulnerable LPM is to Works and Supply minister Kapembwa Simbao who well knows that LPM has no capacity to reason that such naming not only insults all Luapula people but also compromises Zambian security with Congo. Honestly on trip to Luapula it would be a big joke to imagine and say ‘…alamayo nomba twafika pa Levy…’ Simbao should be seriously charged with criminal act.
I think here with sane minds its the brigde they want to name which was once not there but now is there.I think they have not destroyed the old bridge called chembe to name a new one called LMP.This is a new bridge.I do no see how this can compromise any security with Congo it is for Zambians and a Zambian president has elected it.Zambians must be prood of themselves instead of being appeasers of other nations.The boats which were used were danderous and lives could easly be lost than on a bridge,therefore,people of luapula(Zambia)must even be happy to call it LMP the name of their president who has seen the value of life after so many years of peoples lives being endangere.We are so petty.
I think its better to leave the original name. Why on earth do they want to change the name? Did it bring problems? Was it not accepted by the local people?… If not the n let the name be. Dont wake up in the morning and start renaming places then we can as well start renaming our towns like Lusaka should be named after me since am a hard working Zambian.
I have no words
#5 Are you sure you are just ok – i mean your name is just disgusting .No sane parent would have given their child such a name as yours.
Dont be playful when blogging.
Would you show us the picture of the bridge please?
Please let’s maintain our national heritage names. I agree with #5’s suggetion is right if Mr Mwanawasa doesn’t realise the danger. Rememer in late 1970’s during UNIP general conference at Ntumbachushi falls Kaunda bootlickers proposed to change the name of Ntumbachushi to Masuzyo falls. What happened, there was an uprour in among local people and Kaunda sensebly listened. So ‘Chembe’ is the right name for this bridge… full-stop.
ma,very soon they will change victoria falls to mwanawasa falls, kabwe round about to sata round about, kafue round about to hh round about, lusaka mongu road to lubinda road…….. what is this naming thing all about? political?
#51 is right. Many people would agree that Chembe has meaning and relevance in the area. To those who don’t know, Chembe means ‘fish-eating Eagle’ whose image appears on Zambia national flag. Luapula province is known for fish and all Zambians are proud of Chembe for his courage and power. Yes Mr Mwanawasa is a good leader but changing the name ‘Chembe’ to ‘Mwanawasa’ is a mistake too far to bear… So if correct name ‘Chembe’ isn’t given to the bridge now then guys wait for 2011 we’ll change it.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE LOCAL LEADERSHIP OPTING TO NAME THE BRIDGE LPM ,LET US FACE IT THEY ARE ONLY APPRECIATING LPM INITIATIVE.I SUPPORT THEIR ACTION.COME 2011 WE SHALL MAINTAIN THE LPM NAME SINCE WE SHALL STILL BE GOVERNING.
The name “LPM Bridge” simply won’t stand the test of time. The structure will always be called “CHEMBE BRIDGE” even by those bootlickers championing for the name change.
#54 grow up and don’t make local people a scapegoat. You should understand that Chembe Local Leadership is not in Lusaka. If not a corrupt system, will you tell concerned Zambians exactly the consultation system Works & Supply minister minister Simbao (bootlicker)conducted before proposing the name LPM bridge? Please Luapula people are saying we want ‘CHEMBE BRIDGE’… #53 is right Chembe is not a vegetarian…
LPM’s initiative to build a bridge at Chembe is commendable. This bridge name issue is a PR guff and Mulongoti as chief PR officer should have advised the establisment. It is a universal norm is to name new discoveries/structures after other outstanding contributors to the field especially those that are departed. Initiators or discoverers can also be named after their achievements usually when they are departed. This sort self-reincarnation is a symptom of wamuyayaya wamuyayaya wamuyayaya lesa apale syndrome that KK once suffered from and the fatal/quixotic 3rd Term disease that FTJ suffered from.I hope LPM is not suffering from a similar disease.
Half of this bridge Congolese is a fact. But with beautiful structure in sight one can easily forget bad experiences in the past with bakaboke at Chembe & Mokambo. Neddy at #46 has no substance and lacks any clue of security issues for Zambians who have always used ‘Pedical’ Road. Yes, Mwanawasa’s intiative is as great as Kabila’s favour for letting us use Congo’s land & waters. I concur with #53, we shouldn’t forget great meaning and significance of name Chembe on both sides, importantly it’s a national symbol on Zambian flag. You see, with bakaboke changing from Chembe to Mwanawasa would technically mean raising Zambian flag in Congo area. ‘CHEMBE’ is from our heritage and a dream come
CHEMBE (Eagle) is a national pride, heritage of courage and power. BRIDGE is a dream come true. So viva CHEMBE BRIDGE!! viva to president Mwanawasa full-stop… Kapembwa Simbao has just exposed his own shallow minded minister he is. To some extent I beleave LPM is a senseble leader and won’t allow his ‘name’ cause havoc among Chembe locals or bring emberasement to himself in future on both sides of the Luapula river. Kapembwa Simbao deserves an immediate sake.
#58 Mr Mafukeni
You are a sellout and would give anything to a foreigner even those who take over your land and your emarald mines.And in your own thinking you would think that they are doing you a favour to pass on your land or they do you favours when they employ you at the emerald mines.One day you will wake up and find that the emerald land like mikambo has been partitioned and belongs to the senagales.Because you are so peaceful you will walk with you head bowed down think that they are doing you a favour to be there.Have a sense of…
continued from#60
solidality and belonging.That land mikambo and the waters you talk about belong to Zambia.But now is congolese because of people like you.Look at the map and check your history.Now i do not advocate the namining of the bridge as LMP but i advocate any name that is Zambian,even the name of her president because all presidents stands as simbols of a nation.The only problem here is that it seems we have no system in place for namining our development projects.One need not ask the president if this or that should be name after him or not.
It appears Minister Kapembwa Simbao never did any ground work at all before proposing LPM naming. People like Neddy #60, #61 have no practical experience of Pedicle Road particularly in 1970’s and 1980’s. ‘CHEMBE BRIDGE’ name supporters’ point is not about boasting to Congo locals but that a bridge is a good gesture of maintaining PEACE and DEVELOPMENMT in the area, for which Zambia is comitted. CHEMBE or LUBAMBE is an Eagle with great meaning and significance to local people & all Zambians (flag). Go and ask Mwanawasa to check his presidential car, it has no Reg Number but an Eagle (CHEMBE). Neddy wake up!! could you imagine putting Mwanawasa BIG head in front of his car, this is emberasing
Chembe is an area of miombo woodland and glassland situated around a small lake famous for its bird life.The area was given a bird sanctuary in 1973 and accorded the status of national pack in 1982.Among the various species of birds that have being reported seen visting this area is a fish eater which is a regular vistor for the fish of this lake.In the local language of this area which is lamba the fish eater is called chemba from which this area has been named.This is a good name to give a bridge though even that of Mwanawasa or Kaunda is not bad.Iam for a proper system of naming things were no one need to go and ask the president.#62 one day i will wake up.
Please, let the sleeping DOGS sleep… People have supported CHEMBE BRIDGE for PEACE’s sake in local area with bakaboke (Congo)and not to look like taking over Congo’s land and waters as Neddy senselessly expects at #60, #61. The boarder was drawn by Belgians and British during colonial days. Concerned Zambians today want to maintain peace which ‘Bamwisa’ never left. We aren’t against Mr Mwanawasa’s initiave but naming the Bridge after him would definately cause problems. Do you remember those sad days when Bakaboke used to ask Pedicle Road user not wear hats & Zambia-Army was stationed at boarder to monitor the situation? Where were you Neddy!! You’re an alien learning Zambia through books.
#64 Mr Mafukeni
I do not disagreed to naming the bridge chembe.I wonder most were we learn our history if not from books.Mr Mafukeni you will realise that anything that is done without being based on any system brings problems such as this simple issue.If there is a system that looks on how the heritage of Zambia can be looked upon,how presidents shall be remembered and on how the naming of every thing the government builds,i think the minister Mr Kapembwa Simabao would not have errored to go and ask the president for his name to be the name of the bridge and the president could not have found himself in this.
Hey Neddy! Your uncle Kapembwa Simbao is taking Zambians for granted and wants to make local people scapegoate for his own bootlicking. The problems is Mr Mwanawasa accepted a wrong offer at a wrong time and has found his name LPM growing in the middle of Luapula botanic garden… Local people have used hundrens of Pontoons at CHEMBE and no pontoon was ever named after KK. Please, Neddy just say to State House that viva ‘CHEMBE BRIDGE’ and viva Mr Mwanawasa….simple… This how to save your uncle’s job, nevertheless Kapembwa Simbao needs to appologise to the nation immediate otherwise he has planted a seed (LPM name) of emberasement for now and in future.
If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. There is nothing wrong with ‘Chembe’. Also, it is not a bright idea to name public infrastructure after people who are not dead, because when they screw up, everyone looks stupid and the name becomes useless.
It’s not worth it putting up LPM name at the bridge. #67 has hit at the head of the nail. Minister Kapembwa Simbao screwed up and his fake proposal looks stupid and analysis indicates that his idea was to undermine Mr Mwanawasa’s credability to his own advantage. It isn’t too late, good cabinet could just assure the locals in a small way that CHEMBE name will be maintained. That’s all…
Let’s call a spade a spade!! Kapembwa Simbao played dirty politics when he shamelessly lied to Zambia & the world that ‘proposal’ was from local chiefs and citizens to name the bridge after LPM. Look, we all have access to local chiefs and people. When and where did they hold consultation meeting? Simbao can not name any local chiefs or citizens he referred to? Please nothing is wrong with ‘CHEMBE BRIDGE’ newly born from Chembe Pontoon. Well, comment reserved for now… Just find something else to name after the president.
Let’s face the fact. LPM is a lawyer by profession with Honourary Doctorate degree, not metioning that he’s a republican president, which is why it is ethically & morally wrong for him (Mwanawasa) to accept unsubstatiated cheap offers. Keeping quiet would’t help the situation. Regardless of the polical parties, the name CHEMBE BRIDGE is right for all… Kapembwa Simbao’s action wasn’t an error but intentional and a well planned corrupt act by making local chiefs and people a scapegoat. What do you think Neddy at #65…?
If there is no system that looks into matters of naming national developments and if Zambia is being run on the basis of boss like then mr Simbao must have found it right within his mind to consult the president first as the boss,which some how seems the case because the president agreed.If there is a system then mr Kampebwa Simbao must have acted out of the corrupt and debased mind all out to flatter and please the president.Such people with a morally upright president must be fired because they destroy institution and governance.If the president knows that there are proper procedures to be followed and accepted the offer then he is running no government at all.
From #71
The president must be the first one to respect all systems of governance.He must be the first one to see that they are fully operational.Being educated as our president i think he must h ave know better not to run government systems on word of mouth.He must have let the system run its course.According to the laid down procedures.This is what i think Mr Mafukeni at #70.
I am not a sellout. But sorry Neddy at #63, you’re surely an alien (MuSenene). You don’t even know where CHEMBE BRIDGE is. Let me teach you, it’s on ‘Mansa-Chembe’ Road connecting to Pedicle Road across Luapula river. Wow! check your books again, Chembe Bird sanctuary is in Kalulushi on Kalengwa Road from Chibuluma to Kasempa though chief Nkana (Lamba) area on Copperbelt. People like you & Kampembwa Simbao are actually emberassing the president (LPM) by spoiled our traditional naming system for personal gain… you deserve a sack…
#73
Mr Mafukeni,i think you must be intelligent enough to
understand that i only talked about the derivative of the name.I have travesed the pedical road since i was young.I have many a time drunk water of the luapula river where the bridge is being constracted.The name Chembe is just good to name the bridge even that of Mwanawasa or any of his predecesors depending on the criteria used to arrive at the name.
Please show us the photo of the bridge.