President Edgar Lungu has today commissioned the Flyover Bridge on the Kafue road, the first to be completed among the four to be constructed in Lusaka under the Lusaka decongestion project.

The Lusaka decongestion project involves 91.4 kilometers of road rehabilitation, widening and construction of which 29.3 kilometers is dedicated to bus lanes.

The commissioned Flyover Bridge is part of the four flyover bridges to be constructed, others being Munali roundabout, Longacres roundabout and Arcades junction.

Speaking during the Commissioning ceremony, President Lungu said the completion of the works on the bridge is commendable and commended Officers from Ministries of Local Government, Infrastructure and the Consultant for the job well done.

He thanked the Government of India for the continued support to Zambia’s development agenda and commended AFCON Construction for the execution of the project.

President Lungu said the Lusaka decongestion project is one of the many Projects the PF Government is undertaking the ease the movement of people and goods in Lusaka.

He said the Commissioned Bridge will enhance efficiency, reduce traffic congestion and save time for the traveling public which will positively impact the economy.

President Lungu is happy that all safety measures have been taken into consideration in the construction of the road project.

He said his government will continue to invest in infrastructure as it is a catalyst to economic development.

President Lungu further directed AFCON contractor and the Ministry of Local Government to expedite the works on the project to enable Zambians benefit.

Meanwhile, some Zambians have taken to social media condemning the President over the failure by people who went to witness the Commissioning of the project to observe COVID-19 public Health guidelines.

They said it is irresponsible for the President to openly break the COVID-19 rules as this will contribute to the hike in COVID-19 cases.

As President Edgar Lungu will be Commissioning the flyover bridge on Kafue road today, Patriots for Economic Progress Leader Sean Tembo is shocked that a bridge whose works appear incomplete could attract the head of State to Commission.

The bridge which was constructed with support from the Indian Government under the Lusaka Decongestion project to reduce car congestion is located next to Makeni Mall and Cosmopolitan Shopping Mall in Lusaka.

Mr Tembo is shocked to learn that the Flyover Bridge is complete in its current form and is scheduled for commissioning by President Lungu.

He said it was his party’s expectation that a spaghetti junction is what would be constructed so as to allow the free flow of traffic and eliminate the need for traffic lights.

Mr Tembo said in its current form, the Chawama Flyover Bridge is incapable of facilitating a free flow of traffic and therefore does not serve any purpose other than being a waste of taxpayer’s money.

He said there will be need therefore to install traffic lights under the flyover bridge to control traffic to and from Makeni Mall, Chawama and Kafue Road.

Mr Tembo said the Chawama Flyover Bridge epitomizes the incompetence and lack of foresight of the PF Government in general and President Edgar Lungu in particular.

“One of the primary purposes of a government is to ensure that public financial resources are utilized in a prudent manner so as to create value for the nation. The Chawama Flyover Bridge is a waste of public financial resources as it does not serve any purpose whatsoever, and President Lungu must be ashamed to consider commissioning such a moribund structure”, he said.

Mr Tembo has called on President Lungu to consider postponing the commissioning of the Chawama Flyover Bridge until such a time that it is re-designed and re-constructed in a manner that will serve its primary purpose of easing the flow of traffic.

He said it its current form, the Chawama Flyover Bridge has only further complicated the flow of traffic instead of easing it.

“It is our firm belief that no individual in their right frame of mind should commission such a monstrosity”, he added.

The Ministry of Health has said that the delay in releasing results for COVID-19 is due to inadequate testing logistics and technology, caused by high demand globally.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary in Charge of Administration Kakulubelwa Mulalelo however said that the government will work with cooperating partners to remedy the situation.

The Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary also said the government will ensure the rational use of available resources because there is no production in Zambia and Africa for test reagents.

Ms. Mulalelo told Journalists during the routine COVID-19 update in Lusaka today that Zambia has recorded 5 Covid-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours.

She said 4 of the deaths were brought in dead while one of the deaths was a patient at levy Mwanawasa Isolation center.

Ms. Mulalelo said 40 patients are on oxygen support, of which five are in the intensive care unit. The number includes 3 health care workers who were screened in Lusaka. Ms. Mulalelo said Zambia has recorded 119 cases in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo has said that the non-adherence to anti-COVID-19 measures is fueling the spread of the disease.

Mr. Lusambo has particularly cited the unlawful reopening of some bars and taverns as being among key drivers of the Covid-19. He has appealed for strict observance of masking up and social distancing.

Mr Lusambo who was discharged last week from the Levy Mwanawasa Isolation Centre said that he has recovered but remains home in isolation.

He told ZNBC News on the telephone that Covid-19 remains a real threat to people’s lives especially those in cities.

Mr Lusambo said the government is doing everything within its powers to fight the disease and urged Lusaka residents to play their party in stopping the spread of Covid-19.

PROFILE FOR THE 119 NEW CASES:

• 76 cases identified through healthcare facility screening in Lusaka;
• 23 contacts to known positive cases in Lusaka;
• 13 individuals identified from routine community screening in Lusaka;
• 3 healthcare workers screened in Lusaka;
• 4 BIDS in Lusaka.

The Ruling Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy Media Director Antonio Mwanza has said that the opposition United Party for National Development(UPND) is dead worried that, amidst all their propaganda and hate campaign against PF and President Lungu, and despite what may seem like social media support on their propaganda platforms, such as Watchdog and Koswe, the opposition party continues to lose elections in their own strongholds.

In a social media post, after the ruling party won the majority of their ward seats in UPND strongholds, Mr. Mwanza trashed what he called “the facade that even MMD used to win by-elections” by saving that PF was not losing their own seats to MMD in the manner in which UPND is losing their seats to PF

Mr. Mwanza went on to say that, in fact, PF in opposition maintained almost all their seats from MMD, even when they expelled about 22 MPs, they went ahead and defended almost all those seats from MMD in the subsequent general election.

Below is the full post

The popularity of any political party is measured by its ability to win elections.

You can not claim to be popular yet you keep on losing election after election.

You can massage your pride and give all manner of excuses and accusations as to why you have lost to give yourself and your supporters some false comfort but in the final analysis you must face reality and accept that there are things you aren’t doing right.

Three days ago we had 15 by-elections and out of 15, PF won 10 and UPND won 5.

What is telling is not just the fact that the PF won the majority of the seats but that they actually won them from UPND in their own so called strongholds. These were UPND seats and they have grabbed from them by the PF.

No matter how much the UPND might pretend, the truth is that they are dead worried that amidst all their propaganda and hate campaign against PF and ECL and despite what may seem as social media support on their propaganda platforms such as Watchdog and Koswe, when it comes to the actual elections, the UPND has continued to lose, worse more they are losing their own seats in their own strongholds.

Forget about the facade that even MMD used to win by-elections, PF was not losing their own seats to MMD in such a fashion, NO. In fact PF in opposition maintained almost all their seats from MMD. Even when they expelled about 22 MPs, they went ahead and defended almost all those seats from MMD in the subsequent general election.

The question is why is UPND losing their own seats to PF in such unprecedented manner: the reason is simple: you can say all you want on social media or anywhere else against PF but the people, the voters pa ground are able to see and feel the benefits of the PF developmental agenda, people pa ground are able to see and feel the benefits of the new schools, hospitals, clinics, bridges, roads, inputs, jobs, government scholarships, business opportunities etc that the PF government has created in the last 8 years. It’s SONTA all the way.