Mabeo in crunch talks over Kazungula bridge impasse
Pauline Dikuelo | Friday January 22, 2016 18:00
Last week, Chilibwe filed an injunction to restrain contractors, Daewoo Engineering Company from excavating quarry on its land, which is being used in the construction of the 923-metre long bridge.
According to Zambian media, Southern Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu confirmed that the injunction had halted the construction of the bridge, although the Minister of Transport and Communications, Tshenolo Mabeo said construction was still ongoing.
“I can confirm that indeed Chilibwe Mine has filed an injunction, but has not affected the construction as it is ongoing as we speak. Next week, we will be meeting with our Zambian counterparts to find ways to resolve this issue,” he said.
Mabeo added that they are working on alternative to address the issue, noting that the technical team is working around the clock to resolve the issue. The technical team is made of two representatives from Botswana and another two from Zambia.
“Both countries want to see this project complete on time and on budget. We have to look for an alternative to solve this issue, which means even proposing another quarry if we do not reach an agreement with Chilibwe Mine,” said Mabeo.
The construction of the $259 million bridge, which is expected to be completed in December 2018, is financed through the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the African Development Bank (AfDB) loans and some contributions from both the Zambian and Botswana governments.
Last year, there was skepticism on whether the construction of the bridge would meet the scheduled timetable as a dispute arose from the three shortlisted firms causing the commencement to be stalled. However, Daewoo Engineering Company which won the tender, have assured that they have put in place remedial measures to mitigate the time lost and to make sure that the project is delivered within the agreed time. When fully completed, the bridge is expected to facilitate trade between the two countries as well as the SADC region as well as ease the flow of business within the region.
It is also expected to help in terms of delivery by reducing the number of days taken by truckers through the Kazungula border as the ferry service which both governments have been heavily reliant on, had posted a serious bottleneck to smooth flow of traffic and hampered full development of trade between the two nations and the SADC region.
Transporters are using old ferries (pontoons) to move goods and vehicles across the Zambezi River at the Kazungula border crossing between Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. On average, 70 trucks cross with the ferry (pontoon) per day. The AfDB president also visited the Lumbo village-housing scheme on the Zambian side where the affected families will be resettled in the newly built permanent houses as compensation.