Solwezi Civic Centre ready for handover as city status looms

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 10:23:25 +0000

THE K38 million modern civic centre building for Solwezi Municipal Council is ready for occupation in two weeks’ time. The construction of the three-storey building, which had over 40 offices, started in 2014 and has gobbled about K26.3 million of the budgeted K38 million. This came to light when North Western provincial minister Richard Kapita toured the facility yesterday. And Mr Kapita has described the completion of the facility as a true reflection of the Patriotic Front (PF) government’s commitment to spread development to all parts of Zambia without segregation. He said the building would not only provide a good working environment for the council staff but also raise the profile of the district. “And this goes to show that as PF government under the leadership of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu we are not discriminating where development will go; we mean what we say,” Mr Kapita said. He said the building would also improve on the provision of services to members of the public by council staff. And Solwezi Municipal Council town clerk Venture Kafula said the completion of the facility was a greater achievement for not only the municipality but the entire province. He said in terms of standards and quality, the building was beyond most of the municipal offices in some parts of Zambia. “And for the citizens of Solwezi, this is a plus for them because we are matching towards city status,” he said. He also revealed that plans were underway to construct a modern market, bus station and a three-star hotel in the town. “These plans are on the cards. We are moving towards urban renewal, meaning that most of the structures that are of low standards will be replaced through the process that we are undertaking which will see a facelift of the central business district and then Solwezi will be ready to be declared a city,” he said.