Government has said it will not tolerate unnecessary excuses from Zambian workers who are working with a Chinese firm Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation (AFECC) to build the Ndola stadium.
Minister of Sports Kenneth Chipungu said complaints that the workers were being mistreated at the construction site was one way of delaying works which he said would not be tolerated.
Mr. Chipungu said the Chinese firm had a deadline to meet adding that they were working hard to ensure that the construction of the stadium was completed within the stipulated time frame saying it would be costly to extend the construction period.
He added that extending the construction period of the stadium would require mobilisation of more resources saying this would be unaffordable for the country and that it may delay the works even further.
He said the country was in a hurry to have a modern, multi-purpose Stadium to host international matches adding that the Chinese contractor was aware of the nature of work and would not also tolerate absenteeism, underperformance and laziness from workers.
He said workers at the stadium most of whom were youths should not unnecessarily complain but commit themselves to the work which he said would benefit them greatly once completed.
The Minister said this in an interview in Lusaka today. This was in reaction to a story carried in the media recently that the Chinese contractor contracted to build Ndola stadium was mistreating Zambian workers at the site while favouring Chinese workers.
So far, about 700 to 1,000 locals have been employed at construction site located strategically at the entry point to Ndola from the rest of the Copperbelt towns.
The building of the 45,000-capacity stadium in Ndola by AFECC would, apart from helping develop sport, bring funds to the national treasury.
The Ndola stadium would be fully funded by the Chinese government which offered to put up an ultra modern structure in Zambia after talks between Late President Levy Mwanawasa and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in 2006.
The stadium which is scheduled to be completed in October next year will gobble about US$60 million.
ZANIS
Do these chinese comply with the labour laws? Abantu bali nensala kuti babomba shani?
Is that really all there is to it because that’d be flabebgarstnig.
There is no smoke without fire.Better find out if the china man is treating the Zimandola`s in a good and respectiful way.
What a shallow way of looking at the issue of exploitation of Zambian workers by the Chinese. This is the kind of stu.pid hallucinations that need to be put to an end by removing these bofoons. Now how do you expect our fellow brothers and sisters to be treated. It’s not like Chipungu does any work himself besides been driven throughout the Country on free fuel.
” Mr. Chipungu said the Chinese firm had a deadline to meet ”
If this is the kind of society you want – go with the neoliberals.
If you want a society and economy that works for the Zambian people, not foreign corporations, and that sees a political class that is responsive to the needs of the Zambian people, as should be the case in a functioning democracy, there is a need for demand side economics and a taxing of the mines, so the government has an independent source of income that has nothing to do with ‘donors’ or FDI.
It is a matter of democracy and accountability.
Foreign Direct Investment is just an excuse for not building domestic Zambian capacity in construction and manufacturing, which would upset the hold on power of the MMD government.
You know I could do a lot better job than these individuals. Too bad there is no way I can build a party (and hire an army of cadres :)) before 2011.
ba chipungu! what a shallow way of looking at things! surely cant they investigate to find out how zedians are being treated by these chinamen. surely there’s no one to defend the plight of the poor zedians. every time there’s a difference between Zambian employs and their employers the Zambian a.ss ministers and government rush to protect these chinamen. it seems the Zambian government cannot say anything bad about chinese just leaving to ask, why? its common knowledge that chinese people are involved in a lotof bad scandals yet no one is caught or tried. the govern covers everrything. Zambia now is chinese protectorate. chinese have more freedoms than Zambians. Chipungu should learn to think before he opens his filthy mouth.
This is how labour related issues are handled by our leaders in Zambia. Chipungu does not care about the well being of these poor casuals. As long as he eat well and recieve money for fuel, what are these poor zambians to him? the chinese have a deadline,that is all he cares.
He is saying the work will benefit youths after completion, How? by going their to watch zambia national team? Bwana minister look after your people,protect your citizens from exploitation.In Angola, the people have refused to work for the chinese. They instead bring prisoners from China to dig roads and construct buildings. Angolans have said NO to exploitation. Zambians should also say NO to exploitation!!
mwa landa bwino ba minister for colour class and creed has no meaning were the almighty dollar is concerned
\:d/ It is deja vu once again. Decolonization of the mind from bottom up is what is dearly needed in our beloved Zambian society. These Zambian ministers don’t care about the plight of the people, they are ready to do anything including selling out the country’s dihnity for their political survival. It is only in Zambia where foreign investors like chinese are venerated to the detriment of the Zambian people. Of course lazyness at work should not be condonned, but at the same time workers grievences should be heard and addressed. My advice toyou Mr Chipungu is that you should turn your tongue seven times before stating anything, do your research before you let your emotion swallow you up.
IMWE BONSE IN DIASPORA CHABA SHANI EKO MUBOMBA. IT IS WORK AND GET PAID, THEN GO HOME AND COME BACK THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR THE SAME S H I T. TAKWABAPO ATI WE ARE BEING MISTREATED.
I totally agree with #10. It is work and work. Some Zambian are just lazy as the minister is putting it. They must have contracts and surely the employer must follow what is written down in the contract. How many youths are unemployed in Zambia????
I also agree with the others who have echoed the point of not taking Zambians for granted. The government should indeed be seen to protect both the employee and the employer. Ba Chipungu’s comments are really not balanced since he has just dwelt on one side.
Use sticks and carrots on both sides bwana minister and push them hard till the end.Motivation,they say,doesn’t last.Well,neither does bathing-thats why we recommend it daily.
Shut up all you pseudo nationalists. The Chinese have gifted you a stadium and all you can do is whine. This is not a loan. It is a gift. They have sacrificed $60m of their own money why the heck cant you sacrifice your cheap labour? Atase! You destroyed Dag in 1988 and you failed to rebuild it. They offer to build a stadium for you and you want them to pay you King’s salaries. Zambians you are not normal!
Chipungu should have listened to the concerns of the Zambians and address the issues raised with the chinese. why are Zambian ministers scared of the chinese? shame on chipungu for not addressing the issues of the workers.
Emmanuel # 13 you are such a fool and a disgrace, in you right mind you think there is such a thing as (free) in this world oh please! think twice small brains. Wake up to the real world am not gonna waste time to explain how grants work but its a give and take one way or the other. A typical example is that you’re now delusional over the $60 million that’s the price you are paying your pride and dignity are compromised. Mandela refused freedom if his country was still oppressed but you your kind you would have such ballz because you take anything Free.
One of the bad practices of the Chines employers is the retaining of workers NRCs
Emmanuel # 13 did you know that 70% of Zambia’s mining rights are owned by the Chinese so when they say they will build a ****in stadium it’s just social responsibility not that it’s free and they have no right to demean Zambians regardless. If they want they can go and build it on Indian Ocean than to come and disrespect us, after all we can do without it, its not as critical as constructing a road, bridge, hospital really its not economically a must have, with it or not will never host any of those lucrative competitions such as Africa cup you are just a china mans tail ka Emmanuel.
# 1,2,6,7,9,10 and 15, I totally agree with you. Mwe bantu Zambians are suffering at the stadium am telling you. For some of us who are able to see and witness what they are going through its hell. Mr. Minister you need to investigate proparly rather than commenting on things not seen. Mule isako na secretly without the so called investor knowing your coming, mwaimwena. Nomba pantu, ba balipo ukumipela heavy lunch, thats when you go to visit your hungry fellow Zambian no kukalipa, nechisungu sana. Please find your own private time to go there and see for your self if you will ever repeat what ever you had said. There are abnormal shifts, over worked, hunger, low wages, shouting e.t.c Don’t just talk, we should learn to listen from both sides. Thats how a parent should
#17 Do you know that Zambia was the first country in Southern Africa to gain independence? But yet it is the only country without a reasonable soccer stadium.
Zambia has no reasonable road bridge, not even a standard hotel. A stadium is a one-off project and sometime Zambians need to work hard for there own long term possessions. If you go to the site in Ndola you’ll find a lot of people outside, some with cars waiting to buy stolen materials like nails, U-Bolts cement etc, and it is the order of the day. If you go to Chifubu market you’ll find materials stolen (in the name of being Zambian) from the site being sold on open market just like that. Yes let these Chinese respect our workers and give them a living wage just like themselves.
#19 Bra G- Zambia could have had the best sports infrastruture if Chiluba had not abolished all KKs efforts. KK built a stadium of international status in every province but all these have been damaged beyond repair. Oh a point of correction- Malawi was the first to get indepence not Zambia.
Thanks #20 Deja Vu for your points,
but if you look at the difference in time that we and Malawi got deliberated it is just under one year. And yet they have Civo stadium and Kamuzu stadium among others. More so they dont have as much mineral resources we in Zedi.
Yes, KK left good facilities whether he built them or inherited from the after independence. I was a Rugby star on the copperbelt in the late eighties and late nineties and what we had at that time is a sorry site today. Thank a lot again
Stealing from the employers, abseteism, laziness will not be tolerated by anyone. In the mines like Mopani or Lumwana every employee knows, the employers do not tolereate nonsense. If you missbehave just because you are working with Chinese, and you know that Sata does not like Chinese they will fire you. If do not want to work for Chinese stop no one forced you. The Chinese employer as well should not take a Zambian for granted, We can also react and make everything sour. As much as we need the stadium, le us work hard for mother Zambia, abnormal shifts are in every company. Nga niku Mopani there what they call seven to seven and continious operations, just to keep production going. Every minute that is wated is low production and no production means no money and no money means, no more
investments and that means loss jobs. That will affect the nations economy. Ala mwe bana we must work hard. You behaving like some of these ophans, when they are wrong, you try to correct them, all they will say is; just because my are parents are dead, that is why you are mistreating me. Ala takwaba fisuma kanshi? People wake up please!
Zambian workers like most other African workers are lazy. Africa’s failure to become a developed continent is due to the laziness of its inhabitants as well as lack of leadership unlike the chinese whose leadership ensured that noone in the country was lazy. As soon as the white man left, people felt they no longer needed to work as hard under fellow black men as they had done under muzungus. This lack of work ethics was fanned by overly vocal labour unions that just created a scapegoat for workers’ failure to apply themselves to work. Now the Chinese are showing you that their country became what it is from work work alone and you aren’t ready to learn because you equate indiscipline to independence.
#24 Have u been to china before? It is a communist country, there is no democracy like Zambia, besides that a human being must be respected even in developmental issues. Any development is for a human being but not the opposite. Take care u can become a tyrant. I have worked with Chinese before they have no respect for labor laws.
So many points raised here and all partly true.
1. ministers statement is definitely insensitive, we know what he tried to say but it didnt come right, above all else he is supposed to defend zambian workers.
2. Laziness does exist among zambians.
3. exp[loitation also exists, unpaid overtime is unacceptable.
4.Its not easy to just say i wont work for chinese when there are no other jobs out there.
5. The underdog is always the z worker.
6. Chinese work like crazy aassess, lets not compare ourselves to them. oso their society is used to forced labour, we cant have that as a route to development.
all that is needed is a bit more pay, a bit less work and sunshine with a meatpie
:d:d:d
When i first started my factory work here is UK i thouhgt it was slaverly but few years on, i realised why Zambians keep on crying at the hands of Investors.You have to work for your money guys its a wrong working culture you have out there.Working hard is the only way forward.
Ba Kaka #25 What is Democracy? The following countries call themselves democracies and noone can tell them they are wrong; DRC, The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), the USA, Zambia, Someone else will tell you Zambia is not a democracy.So it doesnt make sense to say if a country is communist then it is not a democracy.
xperincis the best teachr,i have workd wth the chinese pipo for only 2 months not that i was lazy no only God is my witness we were treated am telling you and its the only reason i stoped working.with #11 i cn only say that you are stupid.as ba minister whats your job pipo are suffering and you are well sitting where ever you are.pliz am asking you on behalf of msy brothers to visit that place on your private time period.
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