Vice President Rupiah Banda has urged unionized workers at the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) to be on high alert in order not to allow vandalism of infrastructure and property to take place at the company.
Mr. Banda said workers at the company were obliged to protect infrastructure and
property from being vandalized even when the company was undergoing serious
operational problems.
He said this in Kabwe today when he addressed scores of unionized workers of RSZ.
He said government was concerned about the welfare of the workers at the company and
hence its plans to offer it to another investor.
“I can assure you that with your support, we can go the distance together. Let
vandalism not take place while you are looking,” he said.
Mr. Banda who was on a conducted tour of various industries in Kabwe today, said
government was grateful with the support it received from the RSZ workers.
“We are happy that workers are looking at this issue in this company with a fair
observation,” he said.
Earlier, Railway Workers Union of Zambia (RWUZ) General Secretary James Kapyanga
said workers had suffered more after the company was concessioned into private hands
than before.
Mr. Kapyanga, who wept in front of the Vice President when he presented his
petitions, said the union was in full support of the decision by government to
repossess the company before finding another investor to run it.
“We urge government not to relent in this issue but to go ahead. This (RSZ) is a
very important tool in the development of this country.
He said government should visit and inspect the main workshop before equipment which
is kept there was vandalised.
The scores of workers chanted solidarity slogans in support of government intentions
to repossess the company.
The Vice President in the company of Deputy Ministers for Mines and Minerals
Development and for Commerce, Trade and Industry Maxwell Mwale and Dora Siliya
respectively, toured shafts the two mines and agriculture industries in the
district.
Central Province Minister, Sydney Chisanga, Permanent Secretary Denny Lumbama and
Kabwe Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman, Wilfred Wonani and several other
officials also accompanied Mr. Banda on his tour.
RSUZ General Secretary Kapyanga, I salute you. I also salute the govt on the stance taken on ZR. I don’t agree on looking for another investor. Govt should ran the ZR just like before. Of course with more funding concern and monitoring. I personally if I was decision maker, I cannot start looking for an investor. I can just grab the stolen money from FTJ and pump it into ZR and Zambia Airways. Away with foreign investors. Long live CUBA.
Hi Gluco good comment GRZ should do what Zimbabwe is doing enact a Bill to empower its citizen this has been missing. Why tell lies and believe donors and foreign investments. Can still remember when Privatisation one of the conditions when sailing public ´firms was 70% for foreigners in terms of shares and only 30% for citizens of the land. Blue lies this what FTJ did to us through SAP. We need 51% shares to go Zambians no other way out. Go to certain country and ask to buy land they will ask you of a birth certificate of a your grand grandmother because they know u will fail to produce it. At the end of the day you will be told this what the says. We dont want these funny jokes like ” if you want to buy a country go to Zambia. One Kwacha, One Zambia. This pains when peopler are suffering. We have some many people in diaspora who can invest in Zambia.