31 Mar 2019

Zambia minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development, Mr Ronald Chitotela says his government released US$ 16.2 million to update the Kazungula Bridge project payments on March 28.

Speaking in a meeting that was also attended by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Ms Dorcas Makgato and the Project Manager of Daewoo Engineering and Construction, Mr Sung Choi at the project offices in Kazungula, Mr Chitotela said his government released the funds following a meeting with the Botswana special envoy the same day.

Mr Chitotela said his government delayed in processing Daewoo Engineering and Construction payments leading to the suspension of work, promising that his government will abide by contractual obligations to avoid a repeat.

Mr Choi said following the assurance of transfer of funds the payments will be up to date and work at the site will commence. 

He assured the two ministers that the contractor will ensure quality work is delivered and there will be adherence to timelines.

For her part, Ms Makgato said the President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi sent a special envoy to Zambia on March 28 as he was concerned about irregularities that emanated from the delay of payments by the Zambian government.

She thanked the President for his intervention and expressed hope that going forward, no more problems will be encountered since the project was not only important to the two governments, but to the economy of the region as a whole.

She explained that the purpose of the meeting was to look at issue that led to the project suspension and is grateful that the presidents of the two countries prioritized the matter and assigned the responsible ministers to ensure it continues.

She indicated that Botswana was up to date with payments, adding that the two ministers established direct contact with the contractor to avoid any delays, extra costs and further suspension of work. The bridge, which is package one of the project, is funded 50/50 by the governments of the two countries, while in package two and three the two governments each partnered with other funders such as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and African Development Bank (AfDB).

Package two of the project is the Botswana One Stop Border Post (OSBP) and it is funded by the JICA, while package three is the Zambian OSBP and funded by AfDB. ENDS