Lungu warns shoddy contractors

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 14:48:00 +0000

By OSCAR MALIPENGA

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has warned shoddy contractors of being blacklisted in Zambia.

And President Lungu has told party officials who have Presidential ambitions to wait for the party convention to be held in Kabwe ahead of the 2021 general elections.

The Head of State told his cabinet ministers and party officials on the Coppetbelt province to stop campaigning and concentrate on working.

President Lungu said this yesterday in Chingola district when he commissioned the U$S490 billion Copperbelt township roads project dubbed C400.

He warned that his government would not entertain mediocrity among contractors engaged by the government.

President Lungu directed the Road Development Agency (RDA) not to entertain shoddy contractors.

“We shall not entertain mediocrity because we are spending colossal sums of money on these projects and our people need the value for money,” he said.

President Lungu said he has been warning contractors against doing shoddy works “but this time around wait and see what I will do.”

Meanwhile, President Lungu has warned members of Parliament who were lazy that they would be shown an exit door come 2021.

He said he was monitoring the works of his members of Parliament and that nobody would lie to him over the works being done in respective constituencies.

“Just perform and you will keep your jobs,” President Lungu told members of Parliament and Cabinet ministers in Chingola yesterday.

And when addressing the poor state of the roads on the Copperbelt, President Lungu called for seriousness by the contractor engaged to do over 400 Kilometers of township roads in selected districts.

He said the project which he commissioned yesterday would help reduce congestion and guaranteed road safety.

He said RDA would supervise the project and implored all government departments on the Copperbelt involved in the project to join the agency in providing maximum supervision.

The Head of State also directed AVIC International to ensure that they abide by the 20 percent local sub contraction.

“20 percent of the works will go to sub contractors. Local contractors please do a good job and ensure that you do not embarrass us.

“RDA please ensure that the 20 percent of the works is sub contracted to the locals,” he said.

President Lungu directed the Minister of Housing and infrastructure Ronald Chitotela to ensure that he finds money for the construction of township roads in the districts that had been left out.

And the Head of State expressed disappointment with the media for misquoting him while in Mbala on Saturday.

He said some sections of the media misquoted him as having said he would refuse court ruling.

President Lungu clarified that what he meant was a court ruling was final and there was no need for anybody to despute a ruling by the courts of law.

“What I said was that we should respect the courts of law. Media please put us in the right context of what we say,” he said.

Addressing the contractor, President Lungu told AVIC International deliver effective and efficient works.

He warned that although AVIC International had a good record he would blacklist them if they failed to deliver the C400 road project on the Copperbelt.

President Lungu told the contractor that Zambians expected good quality roads and value for their money.

“If you will fail we shall blacklist you from doing contracts in Zambia. Poor performance will not be tolerated,” he said.

And Copperbelt minister Bowman Lusambo said the people on the Copperbelt had been complaining of poor road network system.

He said the commissioning of the C400 was a demonstration that President Lungu was listening and President of all Zambians regardless of their political and tribal afflictions.

And Mr. Chitotela said the commissioning of the project was a demonstration of President Lungu’s great passion to develop Copperbelt and Zambia at large.