Government has disclosed that US$1 billion would be spent to establish a township under the Public Private
Partnership (PPP) in Kazungula district in Southern Province.
Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane said the
new township would have 4,000 housing units, and other social
amenities including a hospital, clinic, and schools.
ZANIS reports that he said the contract for construction is expected
to be concluded within the next weeks adding that houses once
completed would be rented or sold to the community.
Dr. Musokotwane said the construction of a modern township in the
border area was meant to equate the development in Kasane town in
Bostwana across Kazungula border.
He said the Zambian government wanted to see similar development on
the border area of the Zambezi River .
Dr. Musokotwane said this at a media briefing in Lusaka today.
He said government has identified some land around the country to
construct houses under the public private partnership (PPP) projects
to mitigate the housing deficit in the country.
Dr. Musokotwane said government will give the land to the private
sector where they will construct the houses and offer them for rent
and sale to the public.
Dr. Musokotwane named the places as Solwezi, Ndola , Livingstone,
Lusaka , Kabwe, Kabwe and Kazungula.
“The housing project will involve the development of complete houses
to be sold to Zambians at affordable prices. The grades of the houses
will be low cost houses, medium costs houses and a few high cost
houses. This will enable all Zambians from all walks of life to
benefit from this imitative. We want our people to live in decent
accommodation” he said.
The Minister has also confirmed that the K293 billion grant from the
Japanese government will go towards the construction of ring roads in
Lusaka province.
He said the agreement was signed last year and will see the
construction of ring road from Lilayi area in Lusaka to the Lusaka
South multi-facility zone.
Dr. Musokotwane said the roads will help de-congest the main road in Lusaka .
[ ZANIS ]
Great news. The ring road and new township is a good development project.
This is sheer politicking. This government is desperate, and no one has sen any masterplan for Kazungula. The planned residential area will just be used to trap Zambians into poverty because the private investor coming is has no interests of Zambians at heart, only profits drive him into Zambia. Our government is not in forefront of the welfare of Zambian as seen from poor services in all sectors of the Zambia.
This is why we need a change of GOV.
Hey, I’m the private investor, a Zambian in the diapsora, no intentions to trap fellow citizens into poverty man!
I hope shanty compounds will not be allowed to mushroom around this township for political expedience.
My dear well said.Shanties in Zambia have realy been a pain in my ass.We need a leader who could say enough is enough lets have some order and sanity in the country.Sata could do so.Atleast the Sata of the 1990s.Hope he hasnt worn out
US$1Bn situmbeko you are dreaming!! When you can’t even collect half of it from the mines!!
What crap!! Feed on it, make yourself useful to RBish!!
“Government has disclosed that US$1 billion would be spent to establish a township”
Where would they get $1 billion? It sounds like more hot air for the upcoming elections.
Dr. Musokotwane is an extremely dull and ignorant PhD holder. How can you construct houses in Solwezi, Ndola , Livingstone,Lusaka , Kabwe, Kabwe and Kazungula, and leave out, Kitwe, the second largest city after Lusaka from such a plan? Has he even bothered to check the population sizes of the districts targeted for the housing construction from the Central Statistical Office which falls directly under his own Ministry? Or does he a more sinister or insidious reason for leaving out Kitwe which also has a very huge demand for houses?
I mean to say “Or does he have a more sinister or insidious reason for leaving out Kitwe which also has a huge demand for houses?”
mr max mbizo, (i) why have you left out kalulushi (bordering kitwe) where many other houses are being constructed? (ii) think outside the pf box, not everybody is capable of carrying out full development of all areas in zambia within 90 days, it has to be managed in stages, mmd is a government of normal development oriented human beings not magicians, liars and charlatans like pf(iii) there are issues of land availability involved too, for kitwe (proper) when the mfuchani bridge is constructed, it will open up a massive tract of land for various developments, did you know this?
@4&5, such massive developments are carried out in stages, often with one stage financing the next, did you know this? think outside the pf box, and you will be able to comprehend complex issues of development.
no 4 and 5 do you know what PPP means??? go back to school and do your grade 7
pf government,
I am not as ignorant as you think about the Mufuchani Bridge. I know that the World Bank intends to pump $6 million into the construction of this bridge to open up over 12,000 hectares to the development of Kitwe across the Kafue River. I even have environmental impact assessment report about the feasibility of constructing the bridge. But this project has been pending for nearly forty years since lives were lost after the pontoon accidents of 1975 and 1979! What boggles the mind is government inertia on this project while the same government is busy expediting development projects in other towns and cities! There is always talk about the construction of this bridge but nothing ever takes place!
this project will probably be phased…they must be an error on 1 billion as it’s way to much for this project , cause if thats money is used proper it would go very far . Now i’m wonder which private companies are willing to invest half a billion on a border town when the copper-belt and etc. are more lucrative
Mr Mbizo sometimes govt’s implement such a deliberate policy to try and boost the macro economies of such undeveloped areas. By doing what the govt intends to do, they hope to achieve multiple effects or knock on effects on things like employment etc in the area. I think it may also have something to do with social mobility. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ” SIZE OF THE TOWN”
Here in UK, DVLA which is the equivalent of RTA (road traffic agency?) have deliberately located their offices in Swansea; which for lack of a better example I can liken to say say kazungula or solwezi. Its not in London or Birmingham or Manchester.
I’m not an economist but I think that might be the reason or something similar
Africat,
I don’t disagree entirely with your argument that “sometimes govt’s implement such a deliberate policy to try and boost the macro economies of such undeveloped areas”. But is Lusaka, where most developments are taking place, an undeveloped area compared to Kitwe? When I refer to Kitwe as the second largest city in Zambia I am not talking in terms of GEOGRAPHICAL SIZE of the city but its DEMOGRAPHIC SIZE. Doesn’t the large population of Kitwe also deserve more houses, job opportunities, and recreational facilities than a smaller town like Kabwe?
My guess is that they are doing it in order of priority. Maybe Lusaka first cos its the financial hub of the country. Maybe the other small populated towns because they are more deprived than Kitwe. To be honest with you mate, I dont know. Mine was just an opinion.
Kitwe could even be next on the list, who knows?
Africat,
It It is just this kind irrational decision -making and planning that has made me decide to cast my vote in the tripartite elections for the PF. Maybe we will have more rationality in decision making with a PF government.
One sad thing is that most cities and towns have not seen a new construction of townships besides those built in the colonial era! This is a shame on our part. I concur with one contribution (#2) on the part of Kitwe which has not seen a new township but just extensions or mushrooming of squatter compounds even though I disagree on his on negative comment on Dr. Musokotwane.
Is the Freedom Park shopping mall still progressing?