By Benedict Tembo

The Road Development Agency RDA) says the Macro Ocean Investment Consortium was selected as the preferred concessionaire to undertake works on upgrading to dual carriageway of the 327 kilometres Lusaka-Ndola road in a highly transparent manner. RDA acting director Corporate Affairs Anthony Mulowa says selection of the concessionaire for the project, which includes rehabilitation of the 45 Km Masangano- Fisenge Road was also in line with provisions of the Public-Private Partnerships (Amendment) Act no.14 of 2009.

Mr Mulowa says due process, as required by the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Act no. 14 of 2009, was followed in selecting the concessionaire and this was done in the spirit of fairness, equity and cost-effectiveness. He says the call for Expression of Interest (EoI) was published in the print media on February 16 last year and seven proposals from interested firms were received on 11th of the following month.

“These proposals were evaluated from 4th March 2022 to 21st March 2022 and two firms were responsive to the stipulated evaluation criteria and were consequently shortlisted,” Mr Mulowa said.

He said the two bidders were Macro Ocean Investment Consortium represented by AVIC International Project Engineering Company, Zhejiang Communications Construction Group Limited and China Railway Seventh Group Limited; and Yamene Financial Services represented by Velos Enterprises Limited, Graduare Property Development Limited, Yamene Financial Services Limited and Hillary Construction Pty Limited.

Mr Mulowa said in line with the provisions of the PPP Act no. 14 of 2009, the Request For Proposals (RFP) were issued to the two shortlisted firms on May 5 last year with the proposal submission deadline being 1st July last year.

“The second stage of evaluation was conducted in July 2022. On July 24, 2022, the PPP Council considered the request for approval of the due diligence exercise that involved visiting the bidders’ past project sites both local and outside the country, and the Bid Evaluation Reports for the current project,” he said.

Mr Mulowa said Macro Ocean Investment Consortium were then conferred with the preferred bidder status in line with the PPP Act no. 14 of 2009.

“After the evaluation of the proposals, a Government negotiating team was duly constituted, with wide spread representation from various ministries, departments and agencies.

In line with the provisions of the PPP Act, the Government entered into a Concession Agreement with Messrs. Macro Ocean Investment Consortium at a total cost of US$649,976,167.00 for the execution of the project on design, finance, build, maintain, operate and transfer basis on February 28, 2023 in Ndola,” he said.
Mr Mulowa explained that the scope of the project during the concession period includes the performance and execution by the concessionaire of all design, engineering, financing, procurement, construction, completion, operation and maintenance of the project infrastructure. This includes construction of a 327 km of dual carriageway from Lusaka to Ndola and the construction of Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi bypasses; There is also the rehabilitation of 45 kilometres of the Masangano-Fisenge-Lunshya road as well as the construction of two new toll plazas and two weigh bridges.

The scope of work also involves the expansion and improvement of existing bridges. The concession period is 25 years. Three years involves the construction phase and 22 years operations and maintenance.

“Further, prior to the signing of the Concession Agreement, the Road Development Agency (RDA) as the Contracting Authority, issued the Request for Proposals (RFP) and related documents to the shortlisted bidders in accordance with Articles 27 and 28 of the amended PPP Act no. 14 of 2009.
In the RFP the Contracting Authority indicated that the project is to be financed through the Project Finance Model. Under this model, the Private Party will incorporate a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the sole purpose of executing the requirements of the project and that it was anticipated that substantial funding for the project will be provided by limited recourse debt. The debt shall be provided by lenders,” Mr Mulowa says

He says lenders were defined as financial Institutions, banks, multilateral lending agencies, trusts, funds and agents or trustees of debenture holders, including their successors and assignees, who have agreed to guarantee or provide finance to the concessionaire under any of the financing agreements for meeting all or any part of the total project cost.

“During the tender stage, bidders were required to provide only letters of commitment and term sheets from would be financiers. In view of the above context, the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) might be part of the lenders,” Mr Mulowa says He says at this stage, the financing agreements have not been finalised and signed.

Mr Mulowa says the combination of debt and equity financiers will only be cast in stone when the concessionaire reaches financial closure.

“It should be noted that the transportation sector is critical to the economic growth of any nation, as it facilitates commerce, and trade of goods and services. Currently, over 60 percent of Zambia’s road network is in a poor state and this has had a negative impact on various economic activities as transit time for cargo and people has increased, vehicle operation costs are high, and road safety is compromised,” he says

Mr Mulowa says to negate this narrative, under a tight fiscal space, the Government through the RDA has embraced and is promoting investment and participation by the private sector in the development and maintenance of the transportation and logistics infrastructure in pthe country.

“Several critical road links, therefore, have been identified and processes to have them constructed and rehabilitated under the PPP Model have commenced.
The procurement processes on these identified roads will also be done in a highly transparent manner and strictly within the confines of the provisions in the PPP Act No. 14 of 2009,” he saysestment and participation by the private sector in the development and maintenance of the transportation and logistics infrastructure in the country.

The leader of the opposition in Parliament, Brian Mundubile, has spoken out against the current government’s treatment of former President Edgar Lungu. Mundubile, who is also the presidential candidate for the Patriotic Front, criticized President Hakainde Hichilema for limiting Lungu’s freedom of association and urged the government to focus on addressing the country’s economic problems.

In a statement released on Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, Mundubile expressed his concern over the high cost of living in Zambia, citing the price of fuel, ZESCO connection fees, the lack of medicine in hospitals, excessive bus fares, and the high cost of mealie meal. He argued that President Hichilema should not be focusing on Lungu, but rather on addressing the dead business environment, reflecting on his numerous travels in office, and tackling grand corruption.

Mundubile also criticized a Church Elder who recently referred to Lungu using derogatory language, questioning whether going to Church was now considered “Ukutumpa” (foolishness). He further noted that the Head of State cannot jail Dr. Lungu because he has never blocked a Presidential motorcade, like Mr. Hichilema did to a sitting President.

Mundubile’s statement was not the only one critical of the government’s performance. Hon Saili Mavegie Phiri, who is aspiring to be the MP for Kasenegwa constituency, also criticized the President for his language regarding former President Lungu. Phiri argued that there was nothing to brag about in terms of the government’s achievements since they took office in August 2021, and noted that the high cost of living, including the rising price of the dollar, fuel, and mealie meal, was a major concern.

Phiri urged President Hichilema to stop taking advantage of his friend’s psychological state and to focus on delivering a message of hope to the youth on the Copperbelt. She concluded by reminding the President that social excitement is not development and talking too much is not development.

Meanwhile, Patriotic Front (PF) National Chairperson for Information and Publicity Raphael Nakacinda has said President Hakainde Hichilema is uncultured by using vulgar language against an elderly person in the name of former President Edgar Lungu.

During a UPND party meeting in Kitwe on Monday, President Hichilema said it was stupid “Kutumpa” that Mr. Lungu and PF wants to retain power through violence and lies.

Reacting to President Hichilema’s strong language against his predecessor, Mr. Nakacinda said in local culture well mannered people do use vulgar language against their seniors or people holding important roles in society.

The former Water Development Minister described President Hichilema’s language against Mr. Lungu as insulting.

Mr. Nakacinda said President Hichilema is a bad example because he is polluting the language and mindset of young people through insults.

The senior PF official said he has known President Hichilema to be vulgar and that insulting was his nature.

“I want to talk about the message and language President Hakainde Hichilema was using on the Copperbelt. Understandably he has two problems. One, he has failed to fix what he promised was coming to fix if given an opportunity to be in government. Instead he has ended up producing the highest cost of living afflicting the Zambian people and on top of that he has decided to insult them. In our culture there is a way you deal with those who are senior by age and even in terms of the role they are playing in the nation. It is clearly vulgar language, which some of us who know him, that is basically his nature. It is not just an emotional outburst that is who he is. He insults and if you find him insulting in Tonga you would be shocked. But we want to say to the Zambian people, ignore Mr. Hakainde’s emotional outburst and insults,” Mr. Nakacinda said.

He said President Hichilema should have used his time on the Copperbelt to explain issues surrounding the high cost of living, Konkola Copper Mines, Mopani and high fuel prices.

“The real answer you were expecting from him is to reduce the cost of mealie meal from K350 in some places to K50, to reduce the cost of fuel from K30 to K12 they had promised. To reduce the price and make available fertilizer from the price at 1,300 per bag to K250 as he had promised. Insulting Zambians and insulting anybody is not going to change the economic situations that we are faced with as a people so even if he went to Copperbelt and he wanted to insult the former President those insults will not solve the economic problems that the people of Zambia are faced with. In Copperbelt people expected him to deal with the KCM (Konkola Copper Mines) situation, they expected him to deal with the Mopani issue, they expected him to deal with the day to day living conditions of the people of Copperbelt,” Mr. Nakacinda said.

“The people are disappointed that the only gift he took there was a gift of insults against the former head of state (Edgar Lungu) and what has the former Head of State done? Just going to Church to pray? Today going to Church to worship your God would attract insults from the Head of State. Where is Mr. Hakainde Hichilema taking us? What example is he giving to his own children and the young people of this country? And was talking like that at a Youth Day celebration. It is really very sad. He is a bad example. Bad for the State House, he is bad for the Presidency, bad to even allow him to continue mingling in society because he is polluting the language and the mindset of young people through insults. It should not be allowed,” he concluded.

Copperbelt Police say they are yet to make any arrests from the infamous Youth Day violence in Kitwe that erupted between UPND and PF supporters in which some people were injured and vehicles got damaged.

Copperbelt Police Chief Peacewell Mweemba said Police have already launched investigations into the violence that happened just a few meters away from Wusakile Police Station after official complaints from victims of assault and damage to property.

Mr. Mweemba said at least three people were injured, two vehicles were damaged and the minimart at Wusakile Puma Filling Station had its window glass panes shuttered.

In a statement, Mr. Mweemba said Police visited the crime scene and took photographic evidence of the damages as victims of injury were issued with a medical report form.

The violence occurred just before President Hakainde Hichilema officiated at the National Youth Day celebration held at Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe.

“Brief facts are that around 10:00 hrs, cadres from political parties, mainly PF and UPND gathered at Wusakile Roundabout and at about 11:00 hrs a fight ensued between a male PF and a male UPND cadre whose identity are not known, where a UPND cadre was hit on his head with a stone and fell onto the ground, and as a result confusion arose where two political party supporters resorted to stoning one another, leading to the damage of the mini – mart and three (3) motor vehicles, i.e. Nissan X Trail, Toyota Land Cruiser and Toyota Vista, reg. no. ABD 96, white in colour whose owner is not yet known. It is in the same confusion that the mentioned victims were assaulted and wounded, respectively,” Mr. Mweemba stated.

Mr. Mweemba highlighted details of the official complaints lodged to the Police after the incident.

“(1) Malicious Damage To Property. O.B. no. 2850/23. Occurred today, Sunday, 12.03.23 around 11:00 hours at main Puma Energy Service Station, near Wusakile Roundabout, Kitwe, in which Male Ricky Chambo, aged 31, of House Number G-66, Ndeke Village, G Section, Kitwe, Occ. Shift Supervisor at Puma Energy reported on behalf of Puma Energy that unknown people dressed in PF and others in UPND regalia broke five (5) window glass panes and also dented a metal wall on the mini mart. The value of the property reported damaged is not yet known.(2) Assault OABH, O.B. no. 2850/23, in which M/Reuben Mambwe, aged 31, a general worker at the filling station, of House Number. 2334, Chipata Compound, Kitwe reported that he was assaulted by unknown people during the confusion at the filling station and sustained a cut on the upper lip after being hit with a stone,” he said.

One of the victims, whose Toyota Land Cruiser, was damaged is UPND Copperbelt youth Chairman Warren Hinyama.

“(3) Malicious Damage To Property, O.B. 2864/23, in which M/Koji Cherub Muyingu, of House Number 93, Ngweshi Road, Kalulushi reported that his M/V, a Nissan X Trail, Silver in colour, Reg. no. AID218ZM had its rear windscreen and one side mirror damaged. The value of the damage is yet to be established.(4) Malicious Damage To Property. OB no. 2880/23, in which M/Hinyama Warren, aged 50, of House Number 12, Liteta Road in Itawa, Ndola, Occ. Engineer, reported that his motor vehicle, Toyota Land Cruiser, Gray in colour, reg. no. AOB 1113, had its left side passenger door window maliciously damaged by unknown people. The incident happened when he was passing Wusakile roundabout and heading to Arthur Davies Stadium. The value of the damaged window is not yet ascertained.(5) Malicious Damage To Property. OB no. 2866/23. Female Hope Chanda, aged 40, of House Number. C3101, Wusakile Police Camp, Kitwe reported that unknown people clad in UPND regalia broke two (2) glass window panes at her house located a few metres away from the filling station as they were pursuing their rivals who ran into the camp,” Mr. Mweemba continued.

“(6) Unlawful Wounding, O.B. no. 2860/23, where female Josephine Banda, aged 40, of House Number. 4748, St. Macelin, Kalulushi was unlawfully wounded by a person she is able to identify. She sustained a cut on her left arm and a knife is alleged to have been used.(7) Serious injury, where one woman identified as male Carol Kayombo, of Kawama T/ship, Kitwe whose other particulars are not yet known fell into a drainage amid the confusion and sustained a broken right leg. Other particulars of the victim could not be picked as she was bleeding and rushed to the hospital. The same is reported to be stable. The cases were reported at the police station and the scene was visited with scenes of a crime officer who took photographic evidence of the damages. Victims of injury have each been issued with a medical report form. Dockets of case opened and investigations are underway. No arrest was made,” Mr. Mweemba concluded.

Meanwhile, President Hakainde Hichilema on Monday blamed this violence on opposition PF supporters.