Trade and Business Consultant Trevor Simumba has advised Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe to suspend the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage project.
Mr Simumba said the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage project was corruptly inflated in terms of costs.
He said Mrs. Mwanakatwe must suspend the project, conduct detailed review of costs and find a new Public Private Project contractor
Mr Simumba said the Minister of Finance through the PPP unit must renegotiate the whole contract and conduct a full review of costs.
“If contractor does not cooperate cancel the contract and report them to ACC for investigation. This is pure theft. Someone in Government is involved because to justify $1.2 billion for a 321 km road is purely criminal,’ Mr Simumba said.
He added, “As I said consistently the costs of this road were way above normal. Madam Minister suspend this project, conduct detailed review of costs and get a new PPP contractor. It’s clear these guys are thieves and colluded with some officials to steal from Zambians. Enough is enough.”
Mrs. Mwanakatwe this week charged that the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway, widely-reported to cost US $1.2 billion, is not a true figure.
She disputed the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway as costing US $1.2 billion, after indicating that government intended to revise the Public and Private Partnership Act in Parliament to make it more response to the country’s developmental needs.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe said this during the Zambia-South Africa Business Council Meeting on Wednesday.
Does Trevor honestly expect Margaret to cancel this project when it’s her boss (EL) who has pocketed a large chunk of the money? It ain’t gonna happen. Margaret herself is a product of corruption. You are dealing with the most corrupt democratically elected regimes in the world right now
You are dealing with the most God-fearing govt since independence. It even has a Minister of Religious Affairs to ensure that everything it does reflects the will of God. If God is on a govt’s side, what can be against it. You are all agents of the devil for questioning what God has willed to happen.
Very true, thugs are at the helm.
Lungu knows very well who profited from this transaction. The whole truth will no doubt come to light once Lungu is out of office.
There are so many suspicious dealings by this government.
Remember the Kamwala market fires?
Followed by the purchase of those useless fire engines?
Remember the Euro bond that was meant to transform zambia railways?
Remember mukulu scandals?
NRDC? ZESCO loans?
Selling of land to the Chinese?
Excessive foreign trips by Lungu? Mansions in Swazi?
Zambians deserve better.
I know people respect this simumba person for the rubbish he thinks is smart. The Lusaka Ndola road I’m a straight way is 321km, but its 4 lanes of road which equates to double the km, the project he got 4 bridges and a further 50km of bypass roads included are roll plazas. Therefore Mr.smart the family object has approximately 700km of road, 4 bridges to cater for 4 lanes and toll plaza’s.
Dildo just pleasure yourself … as your name suggests your focus is on self gratification and thus I don’t expect your scope to extend beyond that. So for your 700km if we still say at a rather inflated price at USD 1 million per km on average it would still come to USD 700 million. By the way u do realize that in this USD 1.2 billion there are things like hotels which the general Zambian out there did not even want or need. The Chinese have done a similar controversial project I Madagascar which after implementation has brought a lot of discontent there. Open your eyes these myopic deals won’t help this country
God will not allow that to happen in Zambia. Relax, this is a Christian nation, the only one on planet earth.
No it will not be 4 lanes (two each way) but 2 lanes (one each way). If it is going to be double lane each way then no need for by-pass roades.
Zambians always doing things backwards when the Chinese main contractor has already began works…impossible to cancel a $1.2billion contract now… where were you during feasibility studies? Chinese are making so much money from our docility that they are even offering to construct Playing Grounds in Lazy Lungu daughter’s ward through this cycle of stinking corruption.
Surely are there no other up to date photos of this project ..is it not in Zambia?
Surely, I don’t think this is feasible. What I think ultimately is that if the project is suspended, it will be very difficult to account for the money channelled to this project, but if the project continues, it’s as good as Raiders of the Lost Tomb!
We never used to be this bad as a nation. All this thievery came with the current regime. It pains some of us to observe that some seemingly smart people don’t see anything wrong with what’s happening in the country. ECL can change the direction the country is taking if only he can have the will.
Unfortunately, most of these people who speak louder have scanty knowledge and information about what they talk about. Trevor Simumba is one of them
How can a normal human being call for the cancellation of such a project? Enemies of progress manifests in several ways including posing as experts but when you dig deeper their motives are different.
the cost of road construction per km is around 1.9M USD. Lusaka Ndola is a dual carriageway, therefore you need to multiply 1.9 by 2 which gives you 3.8M USD per kilometer if you multply 3.8 M USD by 321KM you are getting 1.2 Billion USD. SO WHERE IS THEFT HERE.# STOP #ACCUSING THE# GOVERNMENT #YOU #ENEMIES OF # DEVELOPMENT
Simumba is one of the educated danderheads we have in Zambia. Talking too much with no substance just like known opposition leaders who are enemies of progress
Everything is Lungu! Then HH profited from …? Privatization, right?
@#7, We never used to be this bad as a nation, true. Until HH came on the scene.
Construction of the road alone, without Bridges, dressing and bypass roads, makes up 60% of the cost of the project at the cheapest cost out there. Remember this is a PPP which will run for 17yrs after which it will be a Zambian project. In essence, the cost to Zambia will be reduced. Bridges add extra costs to the project at minimum of $25mil/bridge, 4 toll plaza’s at the minimum cost of $50mil/bridge. Those are historical figures of construction in Zambia. So unless Ba Mr simumba has other details that make this road unrealistic, we await. But as an engineer, that’s my estimate of the project
Chanchima….talking about God you should be VERY careful with your judgements…..God will also protect HIS children against people like you that slander in public with no proof……God MIGHT ALSO NOT ALLOW THAT…..be careful…..
What Trevor Simumba is not saying is that this is a PPP project involving AVIC, through a loan AVIC obtained from the China’s Exim Bank. He wants to give the impression that it is the PF government which is inflating the cost of the road project through corruption. He is also forgetting that this $1.2 billion involves not only 321 kilometers but 642 kilometers because it involves a four lane highway between Ndola and Lusaka. So why blame the Zambian government alone? This is the problem with UPND biased experts like Simumba. Some of us, who are close to him, know this young man’s political affiliation with the UPND.
Procrastination, so says the famous old adage, is the thief of time. There is no need to suspend the project on the basis of mere allegations because such delays will only increase costs. This project has been outstanding for too long. We can’t wait any longer. I know the opposition would not want this project to proceed because they know it will sell PF in 2021. Ba Simumba, we know where you stand. You can’t cheat us.
It is the minister her self who said the figure is not a true one last week. Tell us then what she meant by that statement. She knows the was inflated.
Is Trevor Simumba a Tonga? Just asking ,do not blame me.
In this case a tribe does not matter my friend what matters is protecting the future of your children
I am not an expert in Road construction but i know beyound reasonable doubt that the cost of fine and high standard road is 1 miilion dollars .so if the its a four carraige way of 321 km x4 gives me more than 1244 km.Bridges and other people 50 km added makes the cost justifiable. Unless iam misssing other key imfo i stand to be guided and corrected by my fellow bloggers.
I find most comments to be mortivated by malice. To start with, the cost of the road depends on the on a number of factors. The quality of material, the cost of the material and the cost of production or imports of the same material.
To call Lungu corrupt for initiating a project is unfrare and leaves much to be desired. That’s why some of u pipo get sjocked when Zambia vote for P.F. this is well meaning government
Zambia has never developed at this rate. You talk and your ribs will P.F will rule go another 20 years.
Chanchima whatever they call you please do not mix fake politics with Christianity. Such comments needs proper thinking and proper analysis before you comment unless you stopped school in Grade 1 first break then you can say all is well in our country.
Which God fearing government are you praising? Having a desk for religious affairs is like a rat eating your foot and putting sugar to your foot while it is paining.